The Shape of Things to Come
by 12wallflower
Summary: An AU Bering and Wells story. Myka and HG in the story of Castle and Beckett. Myka is a detective in NYPD and HG is a famous, womanizing author living with her daughter Christina and her mother. Myka is forced to work with the infuriating English woman and after some time, falls for her charms and the woman herself.
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, this idea was not originally mine, I saw someone on tumblr come up with it and was inspired to do my own fic. It is simply insane how easily Bering and Wells fit into Caskett and I just couldn't resist the spark of inspiration to write (there hasn't been much lately). I decided not to put it as a Castle crossover since it is really Myka and HG in an AU as Caskett. So, Myka=Kate, basically Kate's backstory with Myka's personality (which is actually quite similar to Kate) but things will merge and shift a little between the two. HG=Castle, Christina is alive and well and basically Alexis. HG is not a time traveler from victorian England, but modern England. I will add onto her backstory as the fic goes along. This first chapter will read (very closely) to the pilot of Castle, but it will change from there. On that note, I hope you enjoy, let me know what you think:)**

_"We must not allow the clock and the calendar to blind us to the fact that each moment of life is a miracle and mystery." _

_-HG Wells_

Detective Myka Bering frowned as she sifted through the crime scene photos on her desk. Her back was killing her from remaining hunched over in this position for the last few hours. Sitting up, she stretched out her hands and rolled her neck in a futile attempt to relieve some of the tension. She let out a sigh and flopped back into her chair.

"I take it that means bad news?" Detective Donovan asked as she walked up behind Myka. The shorter woman was the second youngest – after Myka – to make detective and showed a lot of promise. She, along with Pete Lattimer – Myka's previous partner back when they were rookies – worked under Myka.

"Yeah, I can't find anything and now everything that I look at is turning blurry so I think I'm gonna call it a night. You guys get out of here, will hit it again tomorrow."

"You sure?" Claudia asked, hopefully. She and Pete never wanted to leave before Myka, but the tall, curly haired woman was known for practically sleeping at the precinct.

Myka nodded and smiled up at the red haired girl. "Get out of here." She said. Myka stood up and walked into the break room, making like to gather her things for the night as Claudia and Pete happily strolled out to the elevator. Rather than get her coat, Myka poured her fourth cup of coffee since 5pm and went back to her desk. She had nothing better to be doing at home anyway. Myka sipped the now cold coffee and went back to the photos with a sigh. There was something familiar about the crime scene, but she wasn't able to place it and it was pissing her off. Myka was not one who liked to overlook anything, she was meticulous almost to a fault. In frustration, Myka was about to call it a night when it finally hit her. She yelled and jumped up out of her seat, spilling some coffee in her urgency. Wasting no time, Myka informed Captain Neilsen of her discovery and was granted permission to follow up on her lead. Calling back Claudia and Pete – the three of them headed out to find a certain famous author.

* * *

"I still can't believe you killed off your main character kiddo, what are you planning on doing now?" Martha Rogers asked her daughter. Helena rolled her eyes and ran her fingers through her hair.

"I'm sure I'll think of something Mother." Helena walked back over to her daughter Christina and smiled. "Homework? Sweetheart, you're at a party! And up past bedtime, can't you enjoy yourself?"

Christina smiled, and didn't bother looking up.

"Helena, Derek Storm was you're most beloved character, you put a bullet in his head!" Martha exclaimed.

"I need something new Mother! Life should be an adventure! You want to know why I killed Derek? There were no more surprises, I knew exactly what was going to happen every moment of every scene. And these parties! Ughh, they've become so predictable." Leaning down to Christina with a mock whine, she raised her voice up an octave and continued. "I'm your biggest fan, where do you get your ideas?" Helena said with a sign.

Christina chimed in. "And the every popular 'will you sign my chest'?" She added with a childlike grin. Helena smirked, her daughter was old for only being eleven. More mature than Helena herself it seemed at times.

"That one I don't mind so much." She admitted as she sipped her champagne.

"Yeah, well FYI, I do." Christina reminded her mother. Helena softened her smile and ran her fingers through her daughters dark locks.

"Well, just once I would like someone to come up to me and say something new." Helena said with a huff.

"Ms Wells?" A woman's voice asked from behind her. Helena grinned, liking the sound of it and yanked Christina's pen out of her hands, spinning around with flourish.

"Where would you like me to sign?" She asked, flashing a brilliant smile.

The tall woman smirked slightly and held up a detective's badge. "Detective Bering, NYPD. We need to ask you a few questions about a murder that took place earlier today."

Helena – for once – was lost for words. That certainly hadn't been what she was expecting out of this night; though it was an interesting turn of events. Christina leaned over her shoulder and grinned, taking her pen back and patting her mother's shoulder. "That's new." She said with a laugh.

Helena found herself in the back of Detective Bering's car – without handcuffs she was pleased to take note of – and driven to the 12th precinct of the NYPD. It was not the first time Helena had found herself in police custody, nor did she imagine it would be her last. Detective Bering was certainty the most attractive officer to ever detain her however and she was curious as to see what this was all about.

Detective Bering sat down opposite Helena and flipped through a relatively thick folder. "Ms Wells, you appear to have quite a rap sheet for a best-selling author." She said with a tone of disapproval. "Disorderly conduct, resisting arrest..."

Helena shrugged and cut her off. "Girls will be girls. Can't let the boys have all the fun now can we?" She said with a smirk.

Detective Bering looked unamused. "It says here you stole a police horse?"

"Oh, borrowed." Helena corrected. She had indeed given that atrocious animal back.

"Ah, and you were nude at the time?" Myka raised her eyebrows in question.

Helena noticed the detective looking her up and down and widened her smirk. "Well, it was spring, and I have never been particularly modest. Americans are much more wary of human nudity than I'm used to."

The detective shot Helena a glare that surprisingly sent chills down her spine. If looks could kill indeed. "And every time the charges were dropped." Myka spat out angrily.

"Well what can I say, the Mayor's a fan." Helena leaned forward with her arms on the table. "But, if it makes you feel any better, I'd be happy to let you spank me." She grinned and almost dared to run her foot down the detective's leg, but thought better of it. The glare on the curly haired woman's face didn't change, in fact, if possible it deepened. "Now, Meeka..."

"MY-ka." The woman corrected haughtily.

"Myka?" Helena asked, fixing her pronunciation accordingly.

"MYKA" She spat out. Helena held back her grin as best she could.

"Myka." She said softly, letting the name roll of her tongue. She liked it. "May I inquire exactly why I'm here tonight?" Photographs were slapped down on the table in front of her, and curiously Helena leaned forward; grinning as she recognized the crime scene. "Is this a current case?" She asked, her voice filled with excitement.

"Yes." Myka leaned in slightly as Helena eagerly poured over the photos.

"This...this is _Flowers For Your Grave_!" Helena stated in elation.

Myka slapped another photo down on top and smirked. " And this is how we found Marvin Fisk, straight out of _Hell Hath No Fury_."

"Looks like I have a fan." Helena said as she snatched up the picture to get a better look.

Myka nodded. "Yeah a really deranged fan."

Helena dropped the photo from her face and smirked, looking the detective up and down. "Oh you don't look that deranged to me darling."

Just as she had hoped, Detective Bering looked taken aback. "What?" She asked.

"_Hell Hath No Fury_?" Helena's grin widened. "Angry wiccans out for blood? Only hardcore Wells groupies read that." Myka huffed and pressed her fingers against themselves, biting down whatever retort she wanted to say. Helena picked the photograph back up and studied it further.

"Is there anything in out of place, something amis? Anything that might be helpful to us you can think of?" Myka asked. Helena focused and studied the picture intently, wanting to be of some help and utterly curious. Nothing she saw appeared out of place, it was all as she had written it, to a T. It was thrilling and horrifying all at the same time.

"Nothing appears to be out of place." Helena said a few moments later. "May I perhaps get copies of these?" She asked excitedly.

"Copies?" Myka asked in confusion.

"I have this poker game – mostly other writers – Patterson, Cannell, best-sellers. You have no idea how perfectly jealous they would be to see these." Helena looked back down at them in glee.

"Jealous?" Myka stood up.

Helena looked back up happily at the taller woman. "Oh yes! That I have a copycat? It's practically a badge of honor in my world." Myka slapped her hand down on the table angrily, causing Helena to jump. She looked up at the furious woman's face, just inches from hers.

"People are dead Ms Wells." She said cooly.

"Well, darling I'm not asking for bodies, just the pictures." Helena bit her bottom lip to hold back her huge smile. Detective Myka Bering was very attractive while angry.

Myka huffed, started to say something, thought better of it and bit her lip. The things Helena could do to those lips. "Ms Wells, if you don't have anything to offer, you're free to go." She said turning away and heading out the door.

"Oh, I happen to have quite a lot to offer." Helena quipped after her. Myka ignored her and walked out of the room. Helena shrugged and slid the file Myka had been hoarding across the table and poured over it eagerly. Myka stomped back into the room not a minute later and snatched the folder out of Helena's hands, replacing it with a piece of paper. "Ah, and what exactly do we have here?" Helena asked.

"I'd like you to let me and my officers go through your fan mail. If this truly is a fan, they might have written you something boasting about their accomplishments. In cases like these sometimes the killers..."

Helena cut her off. "Killers tend to try and contact the subject of their obsession, yes." She added. Looking up at Myka's shocked face, she was pleased to have finally caught the other woman off guard. She looked slightly impressed. Helena smiled. "I am also fairly well versed in psychopathic methodologies. It's an occupational hazard and did you know you have gorgeous eyes?" She asked, leaning into Myka's personal space.

Myka almost bit her lip, but stopped herself, glaring at Helena instead. "So I take it you won't have any objections to us going through your mail?"

"Be my guest." Helena said taking the pen from Myka. She held it over the paper and smiled up at the detective. "On one condition."

Myka sighed and clenched her teeth. "Ms Wells, I can just get a court order. I have enough evidence with the way the scene is set up to get a judge to..."

Helena cut her off. "I could be very helpful, I get a lot of fan mail Miss Bering, I know what will sound out of place and what is harmless. Plus, I'd be happy to help and an extra set of eyes couldn't hurt. It's the least I could do for the city I have grown to love."

"_Detective_ Bering." Myka corrected cooly. "And don't you have other things to be working on?"

"Not at all, as you know I recently killed off my main character." Helena lifted the pen and signed her name with a flourish before handing it back to a horrified looking Detective Bering. "Oh dear, did I spoil it for you?" She asked, genuinely upset. She hated spoilers, she certainly hating giving them away to her readers. "The book's been out of over a week! Surely a fan like you would have already gotten it by now?"

"I...I have no idea what you're talking about Ms Wells. Thank you for the offer, but really, we have trained detectives and officers for this sort of thing." Myka looked up at the rap on the door. "Just, stay here a minute." She ordered and walked out again. Not moments later, she returned with a gruff looking, slightly pudgy older man whom Helena recognized from somewhere. "Ms Wells this is Captain Neilsen." Myka introduced the man who shook her hand with a smile. Clearly whatever her superior had said Myka was not happy about.

"We would love to hear your insight Ms Wells, why don't you come in around nine tomorrow morning?" The Captain asked.

"Sir!" Myka objected quickly. "Can I talk to you a second...in private?"

Captain Neilsen grinned and looked between both women before patting Myka on the shoulder and heading out. "Nope. See you tomorrow Bering, it was a pleasure to meet you Ms Wells, nine o'clock sharp." He called on his way out. Myka looked horrified.

"Righto." Helena stood up and saluted before cringing at the awkwardness of herself and slung her coat over her shoulder. "Until tomorrow then detective."

"Yeah, night." Myka responded stiffly.

* * *

Myka glared across the table at Helena and shifted uncomfortably in her seat. As promised, the raven haired author had shown up promptly at 8:59am clad with coffee and a wickedly annoying grin. Despite the fact that Myka was secretly a huge fan of the author's novels, she couldn't help but find herself incredibly irritated with the woman herself. She was cocky, arrogant, and some of her comments would have bordered on sexual harassment had she actually worked here. The two of them had been reading letters for almost three hours so far and Myka was a little sick of reading about how much men – and women – loved the author. She groaned and dropped a particularly graphic letter from a woman named Kelsey, listing all the things the two of them could do together in bed. HG Wells was a known player and Myka had seen many a different man and woman on her arm in page six.

Myka looked up at HG curiously and caught the older woman steeling a glance over the letter currently in her hand. "What?" Myka asked roughly. It was the third time she had caught HG doing that.

"Oh, nothing." The woman said causally. "Just, the way your eyebrow furrows like that when you're concentrating. It's very cute. Not if you were trying your hand at poker however, then it would be deadly, but otherwise..."

Myka cut her off. "Does any of this ever bother you?" She asked, waving the letter and effectively changing the subject. Compliments, actually intended or not, had never been something she was comfortable with.

HG curiously reached out and skimmed the page, her mouth turning into the smirk Myka was getting used to. "Not at all, she sounds like a very fun woman to know." Myka glared disapprovingly and HG wisely closed her mouth, taking the top letter and opening it up only to find her hand slapped away. "I don't usually like it rough darling but I could get used to it if you like." HG said without looking at the taller woman.

"Gloves." Myka practically growled out. She had reminded the woman four times already. "And it's Detective Bering."

"That's so formal." HG whined.

"This happens to be a formal business situation." Myka retorted back. She turned away and began sifting back through the letters. "It really doesn't bother you that they get so graphic and literally think they are in love with you? Perfect strangers?" She scoffed.

"Jealous?" HG wriggled her eyebrows and pulled her gloves back on, ignoring Myka's glare.

A few minutes of silence went by as the two of them dug back into their work. Her eyes hurting, Myka set down the current – disgusting – letter she had been reading and took a sip of her coffee; subtly studying the other woman. Despite her comments and blasé attitude she had been working hard from the moment she arrived, and had actually offered up some helpful information. "Can I ask you a question?"

HG immediately put down the letter in her hand and locked eyes with Myka. "Shoot."

"Why are you here?" She asked. "You don't care about the victims so you're not here for justice. You don't care that the guy is aping you books, so you aren't here because you're outraged. So what is it HG? Are you just here to annoy me?"

HG's grin never faltered, if anything, it widened. "I'm here for the story." She said simply, and picked the letter back up.

"The story?" Myka asked.

HG let the letter fall slightly and played with the paper. "Why these people? Why these murders?"

Myka raised her eyebrows. "Sometimes there's _isn't_ a story Ms Wells, sometimes, they guy's just a psychopath." She said before she took another sip of her coffee.

HG scoffed and flipped her long black hair over her shoulder. "There's always a story Detective. Always some chain of events that muddles all together and causes everything to make sense in the end. Take you for example, under normal circumstances, you should not be here. Most smart good looking women become lawyers, not cops. And yet here you are, why?"

Myka clenched her teeth. It annoyed her that the fact that HG had called her smart and good looking affected her, but it did. More than that though, the completely sure of herself look on the english woman's face bothered her. "Well I dunno HG, you're the novelist, _you _tell me." She said sarcastically, thinking that would be the end of the conversation, she picked up another letter.

Instead of a brush off, HG took it as a challenge. "Well, you're not what they call bridge and tunnel. I don't detect any hint of a boroughs accent in your voice, so that means Manhattan, which in turn means money. You went to college, probably a good one, you had options; more socially acceptable ones. And yet, you chose this which tells me something happened." HG leaned in closer as she went on, and with every correct thing she said Myka felt the air in the room slipping out and the straight face she had set slipping. "Not to you. No, you're wounded, but you're not that wounded. No, it was someone you care about, it was someone you loved. You probably could have lived with that, you're tough, but the person responsible was never caught." HG was clearly finished, but Myka couldn't speak. No one had ever been able to read her that well, that quickly. HG smiled, but without a trace of the cockiness that usually filled her grins. It was soft, but satisfied, knowing she was correct without being smug. "And that Detective Bering is why you are here."

Myka swallowed, quickly gathering her composure and dropping the eye contact. "Cute trick Ms Wells, but don't think you know me." She said, knowing her voice was maddeningly giving herself away.

"The point is there is always a story." HG said gently. "You just have to find it."

Myka ignored HG as she glanced down at a drawn picture identical to their crime scene. "I think I just did." She exclaimed, holding it out to show HG.

* * *

Helena was having a lovely chat with the detective named Pete Lattimer while Myka was on the phone. Apparently the man could fit a horde of croissants into his mouth at time. Announcing that the prints they found on the letter wouldn't be ready for over a week infuriated the impatient english woman. Waiting for things was not her forte. Helena whipped out her cell phone and dialed the mayor, noting the look of awe on Lattimer's face as she strolled off to continue the phone call. Happily she plopped back down and grinned at Myka. "Prints will be ready in an hour." She announced. Rather than look impressed as Helena would have hoped, Myka waved her over and gave her a small glare.

"Ms Wells, half of the guys here are waiting on prints, you can't just jump the line. There is a protocol."

"Hum yes, which you never break do you? Let me ask you something detective do you ever have any fun? Let your hair down out of that tight ponytail, drop your top button, a little cops gone wild?" She asked, picturing how enticing that would surely be.

"You do know I'm wearing a gun." Myka stated with a straight, unamused face. Helena's grin only widened. She liked a challenge in a woman.

"Bering!" Another officer called out. "Midtown, we found another one."

Helena jumped up and followed Myka and the other officers to the crime scene. Ignoring Myka's instructions to stay out of the way and not touch a thing, she sauntered over to the ME and bent down with a smile. "Helena Wells, I'm consulting."

"Leena Parish." The woman said without looking up from her clipboard. Helena reached out to touch the body only to find her hand slapped away. "Wait, Helena Wells? As in HG Wells? The author?"

"Yes." Helena said happily. Leena grinned and slipped off one of her gloves, sticking her hand out.

"I love you're books, you know you have a real gift for the details of death."

"I thought I told you to stay over there!" Myka yelled as she came over to the two of them.

Helena shrugged. "I got lonely." Myka rolled her eyes and turned her attention to Leena who began explaining that the woman hadn't actually been stabbed. Unable to help herself, Helena chimed in. "Lack of blood around the wound suggests she was dead before the knife was inserted. No foam around the mouth, so we know she didn't drown."

"Oh, you're good." Leena said with a grin.

Helena tipped her head slightly, thrilled to see Myka chastising Leena with a look and continued on. "She was killed first, then posed, just like the others."

"Yeah, I know." Myka said shortly. "Can I have a word?" The taller woman grabbed Helena's arm tightly and hauled her away from the body. "This is a homicide investigation not a day at Disneyland, if I give you an order then I expect you to obey it." She said sharply, then walked off. Helena only smiled and chased after her.

"I don't respond particularly well to orders." She admitted. "You know in my book the dress was blue."

"Don't change the subject." Myka growled.

"Did Tisdale and Fisk know each other?"

"We haven't found a connection why?"

Helena shrugged. "Just looking for motive."

"He's a serial killer he doesn't need motive." Myka said in annoyance. Her phone rang and she yanked the infuriating device out of her pocket. "Bering." She greeted shortly. Helena waited and watched as Myka's annoyed look softened. "We got a hit on our prints, our guys Kyle Cabet, let's go."

Thrilled, Helena ran after them and ignored all of Myka's instructions to stay in the car. The young man's apartment was cluttered, full of her books, and newspaper clippings involving Helena. It was a little creepy, but once they found him in the closet banging his head against the wall, Helena felt a sense of disappointment. Everything felt far too easy. Neat and perfect, wrapped up and tied with a bow. Her readers would never buy it as a story and neither did she.

"Wells, usually when we find a guy standing over the body with a gun, he's the one who did it." Myka said as gently as it appeared she could manage. Unconvinced, Helena had no other choice but to go to her poker game. She brought up her suspicions to her friends and was happy to find they agreed with her.

Helena had an idea.

* * *

When Myka walked over to her desk the next morning, there was a woman hunched over her files, pouring through them. Recognizing the jet black silky hair, she stomped over quickly and wrenched her files away. "What are you doing!?"

Annoyingly, HG looked unperturbed. "Oh, it's a novelist's habit, going through other people's mail, checking medicine cabinets, etc."

"Why are you still here?"

Helena reached down and pulled up the present she had wrapped for the curly haired woman. "I just came by to give you this. Just something to...memorialize our brief partnership." She handed it over and Myka rolled her eyes. "Oh don't look so suspicious darling, go on then! Open it." With a huff, Myka took the box and opened it roughly, pausing once she realized what was inside. "I got you a copy, I even signed it. And I sincerely apologize for leaking any spoilers, I assure you, it's still a great read, you have no idea how everything plays out yet. Not that you're a fan." She added for good measure.

Stunned, Myka softened considerably. "Thanks." She mumbled. "That's actually kinda...sweet."

Helena picked up her bag and sighed. "Well, it was a pleasure to have meet you Detective Bering." She said genuinely. Before Myka could respond HG leaned in and placed a soft kiss on Myka's cheek. Shocked and confused, Myka froze and tensed up, but HG simply pulled back, smiled and walked away; leaving a very confused Myka behind. Awkwardly, she set the box down and returned to her desk, smiling despite herself. Perhaps HG Wells wasn't as horrible as she thought.

Realization dawned on her a moment later however and she searched though her files in a hurry. "She didn't." She said through gritted teeth. Finding her case file in fact gone she yelled. "She did!" And snatched her badge and gun before storming out the door and heading to find HG.

Not bothering to knock, Myka slammed open the doors to the public library and stalked over to where HG was sitting. "Helena Wells you are under arrest for felony theft and obstruction of justice." She yelled as she walked over to HG sitting calmly, glancing over the casework.

"You forgot making you look bad." The woman added.

Myka wanted to smack that familiar smirk of the cocky, infuriating, english woman's face. She had indeed made her look like an incompetent fool. Myka bent forward and stuck her face into HG's. "For a second there, you had me believing you were human." She stood up. "Cuff her." She ordered the officers.

"So rough is indeed your thing?" HG said raising her eyebrows. "My safe word is apples. How did you find me?"

"I'm a detective, it's what I do."

HG frowned. "My mother told you didn't she?" Myka didn't bother answering, but smirked and waved her officers to take HG out. "By the way the rose petals in the Tisdale murder, they're grandiflora, not hybrid tees."

"I'll make a note of that." Myka said sarcastically as she began gathering up her files.

"Yes, you probably should given that it means Kyle Cabet is in fact innocent."

Myka's smirk dropped.

Back at the precinct, Myka was shocked to meet HG's mother – who did certainly explain a little of how HG became to be HG – and her very well behaved – and mature – daughter.

"I should say I'm surprised, but I'm not." Martha Rogers said. Myka gave her a half smile. "It's my fault, she never had a father figure." Myka took note of the fact that HG's mother and daughter both did not share her accent.

"Oh that's not true Mother, I had many father figures." HG retorted back as she placed her arms around her daughter. Myka couldn't help but smile a little at the two of them.

"Dear they've agreed to drop the charges if you stop interfering with this case." Martha said. Myka looked over to Captain Neilsen, who nodded at HG.

"Of course." HG said pleasantly. She turned her gaze to Myka and dropped her smile. "But you've still got the wrong man darling." She added and lead her daughter out of the precinct, with her mother in tow. Myka hated it, but she had the feeling HG was right, something didn't add up.

An hour later, Myka was still staring at the white board when Pete walked up to her. "No, no, no, no. Don't tell me she got to you?" He said as he sat down next to her.

"She didn't get to me." Myka insisted. She pointed to the picture on the board. "_She_ did."

"Allison?" Pete asked in confusion.

"Kyle committed a murder of convenience, then escalated to the murder of his social worker then back to another murder of convenience? It doesn't make any sense. HG's right. If he was trying to follow her books then the roses on Allison's body were wrong, and Fisk should have been suffocated by a plastic bag not strangled with a neck tie and Kendra's dress should have been blue not yellow. For an obsessive it would have been impossible not to get the details right."

"Well if it wasn't him then who was it?" Pete asked.

"Allison's the key, she's the one someone was trying to hide. The killer wanted Allison dead, the other two were simply to cover up her murder."

"Yeah, well then who?" Pete asked as he stuffed three doughnuts into his mouth. Myka glared at him.

* * *

Helena sauntered up to the front desk of the building Allison Tisdale's father owned and smiled at the woman behind the counter. Lifting her sunglasses down and placing her hands on the countertop, she said, "hello love, I'm Helena Wells, I have an appointment with Mr Tisdale, he's expecting me."

"Is he now?" A familiar voice asked. Helena whipped around to watch Myka simply flash her badge to the woman without a glance and hit the button for the elevator.

"I...this is not what it looks like." Helena began, knowing she couldn't really talk her way out of this one, she coincided. "Well, actually it _is_, but I can explain."

Myka grinned and shifted her weight back and forth between her feet adorably. The elevator dinged and she cocked her head forward. "You coming?" She yelled over her shoulder. Helena grinned, and jumped into the elevator.

While Myka was asking Allison's father questions, Helena looked around the room curiously. Chiming in and asking if she had any known enemies and receiving a look from Myka. "Thank you sir." Myka said gently and pointed sharply for Helena to follow her out. On a hunch, Helena ignored her and stepped forward.

"Mr Tisdale Fortune Magazine lists your net worth at nearly a hundred million dollars, is that true?"

"I've been lucky yes." He asked, touching his hair awkwardly.

"If something happens to you where does all that money go?" Helena pressed.

"Half goes to charities and half to my children." He paused. "Well, my son."

Myka lead Helena out of the building and wasted no time in tearing into her. "What was all that about?" She asked.

"He's dying." Helena exclaimed.

"Who's dying? Tisdale?" Myka asked.

Helena noticed a hot dog vender and smiled. "Would you care for a hot dog darling? I would like one." She said and began to walk over. Turning around she was about to ask what Myka preferred on her hot dogs but found her nose grabbed sharply. "Aaaappples!" She yelled as Myka pulled her face close to hers. "Apples! Apples!"

Ignoring her pain completely, Myka kept her grip. "What makes you think that he is dying?" She finally let go, and Helena readily began to explain, in hopes that her nose would be left alone.

"Did you see those pictures in his office? He is much thinner now, not like he has been working out but sick thin."

"His daughter was just murdered!" Myka yelled.

"And the way he kept touching his hair? Like he was self conscious. It's a wig, a good one but new to him _and_ he was wearing makeup."

"He's trying to look healthier than he is." Myka said with a nod, Helena grinned, she was reeling her in. "Just because he's got cancer doesn't mean it's terminal." Myka said warily, but Helena only grinned and waited for Myka to reach the conclusion herself. "We never interviewed the brother." The curly haired woman said. Helena's smile only widened as she followed behind Myka.

"He's lying!" Myka exclaimed as they walked away from interviewing Allison's brother over an hour later.

"What! Really?" Helena asked. She did not like the smirk that was etching onto Myka's face. And she really didn't like the fact that she had missed out on seeing something the other woman had caught. Working leads with Myka was much more exciting than anything she had done in a long time. Rather than write about solving mysteries, she was actually helping to solve one. As they got a warrant to search the brother's home Helena was practically jumping up and down with excitement.

"Wells, if you're coming in with us, you'll need to be armed. My backup's in the glove compartment." Myka offered. Ecstatic, Helena jumped back into the passenger seat and began rummaging around.

"I can't find it." She said. The next thing she knew, she felt metal on her wrist and Myka's face only inches from her own. Myka had handcuffed her to the car door.

"This time you are staying here." Myka said with a grin.

"What! Myka, darling come on now can't we reach some other agreement?" Helena called out in vain. She quickly searched around to try and get herself out of the annoying contraption. Not having much luck, until she found a key, but dropped it, she quickly slid off her shoe and picked it up with her toes. As she looked up, she saw their suspect climbing down the fire escape and chased after him. Tackling the man, but shaky on uneven ground, he pulled his gun on her and held her close. Myka was right behind her, with her own gun pointed square at Harrison Tisdale. Despite a gun being pulled on her, Helena began to goad her assailant.

"Wells you are not helping!" Myka yelled.

Helena continued to ignore her as the true story revealed itself to her. Seeing Myka inch forward and knowing Harrison was unraveling, Helena reacted quickly and jutted her elbow into his face, snatching the gun away from him and shrieking with glee at her success. "Tell me you saw that!" She yelled proudly.

Myka ran over and cuffed the man, before shoving Helena roughly into the wall. "What the hell were you thinking!? You could have gotten yourself killed!" She screamed.

"Darling the safety was on the whole time." Helena stated proudly.

"You could have _told_ me." Myka said through clenched teeth.

"Oh, where's the fun in that?"

It took longer than Helena would have thought for the other officers to arrive on scene and process Harrison Tisdale. She waited – as patiently as she could – and Myka finally made her way back over to Helena.

"Well...I guess this is it." Myka said with a small smile.

"Well darling it doesn't have to be." Helena said, rather hopefully. "We could do to dinner, debrief each other."

"Why Wells, so I can be another one of your _conquests_?"

"Well, I could be one of yours." Helena offered with a grin. Oh how she would enjoy that.

Myka bit her lip and shook her head slightly with a smile on her face. Sticking her hand out, she looked down into Helena's eyes. "It was nice to meet you Ms Wells."

Helena sighed, and took the hand that was offered to her reluctantly. "That's too bad, it would have been great." She said.

Shocking Helena, Myka bit her lip seductively and stepped forward hovering just near Helena's ear. "You have no idea." She whispered. Helena couldn't believe it, but she was frozen as the tall woman sauntered away proudly. Oh yes, Helena Wells loved a challenge.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you for the response to the first chapter! I'm glad people seem interested in the idea. I will try to get you guys an update at least once a week, sometimes more. This one it a bit shorter than the first chapter, I'm still getting a feel for writing for these characters; but hopefully I will have another one up by Friday/Saturday at the latest. Hope you continue to enjoy, let me know what you think:) **

Myka glanced to her side and frowned. Ms HG Wells was sitting next to her desk, comfortably relaxed, sipping coffee and clicking a pen incessantly. From the signature smirk etched onto her face, she was well aware of the fact that it was annoying Myka beyond belief. Rather than give the older woman the satisfaction of admitting it, Myka bit her lip and returned to her file.

"Is it usually this dull?" HG asked a few moments later. Myka was learning that Helena Wells was not someone who was capable of being quiet for very long.

"Welcome to the real world Ms Wells, a lot of our work has boring aspects." Myka said without looking up from her desk.

"You can call me Helena." She offered with a cocky smile.

"Wells is good enough for me. Cop thing." Myka said, standing up and grabbing her coffee mug. She was well aware of HG's eyes following her to the break room. It frustrated her that the author affected her so much. It had taken a while to establish herself in the very male dominated profession of police work; especially being the youngest officer to be promoted to detective. While leering eyes were something she had gotten used to; them coming from a woman was new. Myka – and the rest of the world – was painfully aware that HG Wells played for both teams. Having both an ex-husband and an ex-wife along with countless boyfriends and girlfriends constantly seen out with the woman; it was obvious to anyone with eyes. Myka kept her personal life just that, personal. Apart from never feeling comfortable talking about such things, she never really had time for them. The last boyfriend she had was Sam, back when she was a rookie. Sure, she had gone on a few dates with guys over the years, but hardly anything stuck past a second date, let alone a third. HG wasn't the first woman to flirt with Myka, but she was the first woman to have gotten some sort of reaction and it both confused and infuriated her.

Getting her coffee, Myka made her way back to her desk to find HG chatting it up with Claudia. Myka sighed. Her team had taken to the woman quickly; Leena and Claudia loved her, and even Pete seemed amused.

"She driving you up the wall yet?" Pete asked as he came up behind her.

"I might end up committing a murder myself." Myka said with a teasing grin. Pete chuckled and took a bite of his banana. The man was never without food.

"As long as you let me be the arresting officer." He grinned. Myka punched his shoulder and went back to her desk, lightly shoving Claudia out of her chair.

"Did you know HG's got a ferrari?" The redhead asked excitedly.

"Good for her."

"Not a fan of automobiles Detective Bering?" HG asked with a smile.

"I like my bike better." Myka answered before grabbing her phone. "Bering?"

"You have a motorcycle!?" HG asked in awe. "I had no idea."

Myka clicked the phone back into it's receiver. "We've got a body." She announced to her team while grabbing her things. Turning around hastily and stopping HG in her tracks she added, "and there are a ton of things you don't know about me." She gave HG a smirk of her own at the look of shock on the English woman's face and followed Claudia and Pete outside.

* * *

"Murder is thrilling up close." Helena announced as she sauntered into her apartment later that night.

"Oh wonderful dear, that doesn't make me question my parenting skills at all." Martha said sarcastically as she sipped her drink. Helena rolled her eyes and bent to kiss Christina's cheek.

"You started dinner without me!" She accused playfully.

Christina smiled up at her mother. "You we're taking too long." She complained.

"Was I now?" Helena bent down and tickled her daughter's sides, loving the giggles that erupted from her.

"Mom!" Christina protested. "Stop it!"

Helena ignored her a few seconds longer, revealing in her daughter's laughter before finally letting go. Christina stuck her tongue out and passed a plate over to her mother. Helena took it and stuck her own tongue out as well.

"Very mature darling." Martha quipped. Helena responded by cheekily sticking her tongue out at her mother.

"Today, a woman was murdered and placed inside a washing machine." Helena informed her family. "It was ghastly."

"Then why are you smiling?" Martha asked.

"Because it was also thrilling. I mean a washing machine? What will they think up next?"

"Mom, that's gross." Christina said. She dumped her plate into the sink, kissed her mother and grandmother goodnight and headed up to bed.

"Really Helena? Talking about a murder in front of your daughter?" Martha chastised.

"Oh how is it any different from any other night?" Helena asked as she flipped her hair back over her shoulder.

"Perhaps because the murders aforementioned were made up for your books whereas this is a real dead woman."

"Christina is very mature for her age, and death is a part of life Mother, I'm not going to frighten her." Helena insisted. She accepted the glass of wine from her mother and dug into the chinese takeout. No one in this family could cook a proper meal. Helena could make breakfast foods, and little more. Martha ha a knack for burning plain water. More than once as a child, Helena had come home to fire alarms wailing and bits of their apartment on fire.

"Have you not annoyed the detectives enough for them to kick you out yet?" Martha asked.

Helena merely smiled. "We're getting along swimmingly Mother."

"Really?" Martha raised her eyebrows in question.

"Yes." Helena insisted. Her smirk dropping slightly, "well, with most of them." She added.

"Ah, there it is."

Helena flipped her hair and took a bite of her dumpling. Shooting a glare at her mother, she finished chewing before answering. "The lead detective, Myka Bering, is...well, she's still warming up to me."

"Is she now? When I met her she looked ready to take your head off."

"The relationship has progressed." Helena said with a shrug. "She now merely wants to hit me from time to time." Martha chuckled as she stood up and kissed the top of her daughter's head.

"Darling, please don't drive that nice woman insane."

"Me? Never." Helena grinned.

* * *

"She is infuriating!" Myka insisted to Leena. She was sitting on top of a table in the morgue, letting her legs swing back and forth while Leena performed an autopsy for another detective. She couldn't believe that she was a grown woman and hiding from someone like a child. She had left Claudia and Pete to entertain HG and slipped away unnoticed.

"I think she's entertaining, plus, her aura is kind." Leena said as she pulled open the man's chest cavity. Myka grimaced. She had seen a million, and the freaky cases were almost always assigned to her, but no matter what, she never got used to seeing a dead body.

"You've got to be kidding me Leena."

"I never kid about auras." Leena said without bothering to look up at Myka. The curly haired woman sighed and kicked her legs back and forth faster, trying to expel her nervous energy. Since they had solved the case of "Nanny McDead" – as HG had so tastefully christened it – two days earlier she hadn't had a thing to do. Myka got restless without a case. She never quite knew what to do with herself when she wasn't working. She had already finished her copy of the book HG had given her, and a second she had purchased at a bookstore yesterday. Myka didn't relax well.

"I don't get the aura thing." Myka said.

Leena looked up as she dropped the man's kidney onto the table and raised her eyebrows at Myka. "That's because you are too practical and logical to believe in anything you can't see."

"I..." Myka began to protest but faltered. She really didn't have a response to that, it was true.

"You know, your auras fit nicely together." Leena said casually, turning back to the body.

"Leena, don't." Myka warned. "She is arrogant, impulsive, can't follow orders to save her life, and constantly makes everything into a sexual innuendo. I want to strangle her!"

"You left out, talented as hell, someone you have admired for years, the woman behind your favorite books, incredibly intelligent, and beautiful." Leena added, plopping stomach contents down without warning. Myka pinched her nose and glared at Leena. "Also, she gets under your skin, I can see it."

"Of course she gets under my skin! I just said that, she is driving me nuts!" Myka said, her voice slightly distorted due to her pinched nose. Leena chuckled.

"Yeah, I meant a different kind of under your skin." Leena said with a smirk.

Myka glared at her friend. "Leena, I'm not gay."

"Gay, straight, purple, labels are useless." Leena said as she began sifting through the contents of the man's stomach. "People are people, you meet someone, there is a connection, then brilliant. That's all there is to it."

"No it's not."

Leena shrugged. "It is, it just scares people is all. Whatever, do what you want girl but your ass is so tightly wound; you are going crazy with nothing to do for two days. That is not normal. She looks like a lady who knows how to have fun, you could sure as hell use a little fun. If she loosens you up a bit, friend or what have you, I'm all for it." Leena pointed her scalpel at Myka and grinned. "A little lipstick wouldn't kill you either."

Myka picked up a gauze pad and hurled it at Leena with impeccable precision.

"I saw that Detective Bering." HG said as she sauntered into the room, hands in her coat pockets and her signature cheeky grin on her face. Myka rolled her eyes, she had been found. "Thought you'd gotten a call and left me all on my own, but someone said they saw you come down here." HG quickly moved over to Leena and studied the body without any trace of horror, only fascination. "And who would this be?" She asked. "A new case?" She looked up at Myka hopefully.

"No. Not ours." Myka said with a slight pout.

"Ours." HG smirked and ran her fingers through her dark locks. "I like the sound of that." She told Leena. "What exactly is that there?" She asked, pointing to something on Leena's table.

Myka leaned forward to try and see what the two women were looking at, but couldn't see without getting up and moving closer; which she was not about to do.

"That would be fish." Leena said.

Myka grimaced.

"Not a fan of seafood Detective?" HG asked, moving away from Leena slightly and closer to where Myka was sitting.

"I like it just fine, it's when its digested and in someone else's stomach that I'm not all that fond of."

"Ah, yes it is rather revolting." HG said giving it a second look and shuddering. As quickly as she had gotten wrapped up in Leena's dead body, she forgot about it. She hopped up onto the table next to Myka and clapped her hands together gleefully. "So, when do we get another case?"

"When we get a call there's been a murder." Myka said, keeping her gaze forward and ignoring the close proximity of the author.

"Well, that's unfortunate. It has been a long two days."

"Don't you have writing you could be doing?" Myka asked.

"Ah yes, actually I have gotten quite a bit of writing done. My editor is thrilled. You're very inspiring Detective Bering."

"You're editor is also you're ex-wife is she not?" Myka asked, hoping for once to catch HG of guard. "That's got to be tense." Myka could see Leena glance up and smirk at her, but she only shrugged and looked down at the woman sitting close to her.

"It has it's challenging moments yes, but we were always better as friends than lovers." HG answered without missing a beat. Myka sighed. She should have known it would take a lot more to throw the English woman off than a simple mention of an ex. "And you Detective? Nothing ever go on between you and your former parter, Mr Lattimer?"

"Pete?" Myka snorted. "God no. He's like my brother."

"Hum.." HG murmured. "Good to hear."

"What?" Myka asked, unsure if she had heard the woman correctly.

"Oh, nothing."

Myka was about to press HG further when her phone rang. She slipped down off the table to pull it out of her pocket. "Bering." She answered sharply and professionally. HG leaned forward and tried to press her ear against Myka's; listening in on the phone call. Myka frowned at the woman, and stepped away. "Okay, thank you." She hung up and looked reluctantly at HG. "Alright Wells, come on, we've got a body of our own."

HG grinned widely, and caught Myka off guard for a moment. There really was no denying the woman was beautiful. HG jumped down off the table and strutted past Myka. "Murder awaits!" She announced happily. Myka rolled her eyes, shot a final glare at Leena to keep her quiet and followed after her.

"Yeah, this is gonna be fun." Leena whispered to the dead man. "You might not see it, but I do."


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry, I wanted this up Sat, but I had to pull some extra shifts at work:( Also, I am trying to re-watch (more like skim around) Castle season 1 to keep things pretty close and it takes longer than you might think once you get absorbed in an episode. So I apologize, but here is chapter 3! Also, right now, it is more case related, and it isn't going to stay like that. Hope you enjoy, please leave a comment and let me know what you think!**

Helena pulled her coat closer around her body as she walked down to the river alongside Myka, Pete and Claudia. She was listening intently as Pete listed the information they had on their victim, a young boy, only 18 and a senior at Redding Prep. The thought of seeing a dead child was not exactly the thrilling gruesome adventure she had had in mind when Myka's phone had rung in the morgue. She was doing her best to appear as unaffected as possible; not willing to give Myka a reason to say she couldn't handle this job. Helena winced slightly as they came upon the body, face up, splayed out in the middle of a small boat that had been pulled onto the shore. She glanced around, as if surveying the area while the ME listed more information to Myka. Only stealing a final glance down, Helena gladly followed Myka away from the boat and it's contents.

"Somebody dragged him here, he couldn't have come from very far." Myka stated. Turning to Helena slightly she added, "so, why he burial at sea?"

Eager to stop picturing the dead boy's face, Helena jumped on the opportunity to hash out theories. "Well, Vikings believed that in order to reach Valhalla, one required a vessel."

Myka raised her eyes skeptically. The yellow cap on her head, barely containing her mass of brown curls only added to the adorableness of her facial expression. "Gun touting Viking? That's your theory?" She asked sarcastically.

"Oh no, that wouldn't work, they also launched their dead with a sacrificial woman, some liquor and a fine horse. We appear to be lacking those elements." Helena added with a small grin. Myka rolled her eyes, but Helena was sure she caught a glimmer of a smirk in there.

She wasn't looking forward to having to inform the boy's parents of his death. It was every parent's worst nightmare; certainly one of hers. Yet, she followed Myka into the home and sat down, not having to feign her look of sympathy as Myka spoke.

"Most night's Donny ate out, or at one of his friends, he hung out with a pretty tight crowd at Redding." The boy's father said. Helena watched Myka quickly take notes as she listened. "They've all been together since grammar school."

Helena looked around the apartment, avoiding the mother's eyes when she could and noticed many of their possessions looked like they didn't fit the small apartment. She spoke up, and asked if they had moved recently, guessing correctly.

"How did you know they had moved?" Myka asked as they walked out of the apartment. Helena had noticed Myka's scrupulous eye for detail and was amused that she had picked up on something the taller woman had not.

"The television was built for a much larger apartment, it looked out of place at that wall." Helena said while pushing the elevator button. "What I wonder is how they can still afford to pay for Redding with his law firm going under like that. They said they were barely getting by, Redding is certainly not cheep."

"You know the school?" Myka asked.

"Oh, I've been kicked out of all of New York's finer educational institutions at least once, many in London as well." Helena said somewhat proudly. "The irony is, now that I am relatively famous and wealthy, they all claim me as an alumni and ask me for money."

"Oh, it must be so hard to be you." Myka said sarcastically.

"My cross to bear." Helena responded with a sigh; pleased to get a small chuckle out of Myka. Perhaps she was growing on the woman after all. "Where are we off to now?" She asked.

"Redding. If we want to know what the hell a teenage boy was doing in Central Park in the middle of the night, ask his friends."

"Righty-ho then." Helena bounced out of the elevator and made her way out of the lobby, Myka hot at her heels. As they approached the group of teenagers the principal had pointed out Helena immediately began studying them while Myka asked her questions.

"Do you know of any reason he would be in the park?" Myka asked. None of them would look her in the eye, but they were all clearly hiding something. Myka sighed. "Look guys, I went to York, I know all about honor codes and protecting your friends..." Myka trailed off.

"_You_ went to York Prep?" One of the girls scoffed. Helena disliked her instantly.

"How's a Yorkie end up a cop?" One of the boys asked.

"Things happened, things like this." Myka said, with a hint of pain in her voice. Helena turned her attention off the teenagers and faced Myka. "The point is, if you're trying to protect your friend's memory I get it." Helena watched as the teenagers looked down to their feet. "But eventually the truth comes out, and the faster is does the easier it will be for us to find who did it." The kids looked back and forth nervously between each other. Helena bit back a smile, Myka was getting to them.

"His family lost everything, and...we didn't care but we go out a lot. We offered to cover him but, he wouldn't let us. He just kind of fell apart."

"Fell apart how?" Myka asked.

The kids looked back and forth nervously again, not answering.

"He can't get into trouble anymore." Helena said softly.

The girl who had scoffed at Myka gave a resolved sigh and spoke up. "He kind of got into drugs."

Helena frowned. "If he had money problems, how did he support a drug habit?" She asked.

The girl bit her lip, but responded. "He started dealing...in the park."

Helena shared a look with Myka as she thanked the students and they made their way off the school property. "Classic tragedy, prominent family falls into disrepute, spirals down..."

"And bad things happen." Myka irrupted.

"Well, of course bad things happen otherwise we wouldn't call it a tragedy." She said as she flipped her hair out of her face. "Did you know in the original Greek, tragedy literally means, goat song?" Myka shot her a look. "Yes it doesn't make any sense to me either. Whatever that first story entailed, I'm sure something perfectly awful happened to that goat."

Myka shook her head softly and pulled her ringing mobile phone out of her pocket. "Bering." She answered. Helena lifted up on her toes slightly and placed her ear next to Myka's, hoping to listen in. The next thing she knew, Myka had reached around behind her, grabbed hold of Helena's other ear and pulled it roughly; causing Helena to wince and try to pull away from Myka's grasp, only putting more pressure on her ear in the process. "Sure, I'll be right there." She said, not looking at Helena bent over oddly, trying to pull away. Myka simply closed her mobile, slid it back into her pocket, released Helena's ear and walked forward.

Helena rubbed her ear like a pouty child and followed along. "You could have simply put it on speakerphone." She complained. Myka ignored her. Unwilling to be silent for long, and sick of all the traveling back and forth they had been doing all morning, Helena was feeling mischievous. "I'm going to want to see the pictures of those plaid skirts and knee socks." She said with a wicked grin.

"Excuse me?" Myka asked.

"I've seen those York school uniforms." Helena said, wriggling her eyebrows.

Myka laughed, loudly. "You know what Wells, I want in on your famous poker game." She smirked and let out a laugh at Helena's confused look. "I went to public school, I just told them that to make them feel comfortable."

Helena was shocked and rendered speechless for a minute or two. "Well played Detective Bering. You certainly had me fooled." She said. Myka grinned and Helena let out a sigh. This woman certainly was something.

* * *

Myka shuffled tiredly into her apartment, dropping her bag and keys, she headed straight for the sink. Gulping down a large glass of water, she ignored the rumbling in her stomach, she was too tired to eat. That would have to wait for breakfast. Momentarily, she worried that she was slowly slipping back into old habits. Skipping meals, getting too wrapped up in her cases, unable to leave work at work. She sighed and slipped out of her work clothes, pulling a large t-shirt that had been Sam's over her head. It no longer smelled like him after multiple washes and years, but on days like this, it helped her sleep.

Myka wasn't sure exactly what it was about this particular case that was getting to her; she had had cases involving children before. Seeing the pain in HG's eyes when she thought Myka wasn't looking...she was sure it must be that. Myka forgot sometimes that HG was a mother – she was such child herself – picturing her having responsibility over a little girl was hard to imagine.

Myka pulled her thick comforter over her head and tried to shut down her brain. She was beyond exhausted, but sleep was not apparently going to come tonight. Her stomach growled again, furious at being ignored and Myka kicked the covers off angrily. Stamping off into her little kitchen, she hurriedly made herself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and carried it back to bed. Out of habit, she pulled a book off her shelf and propped it open in her lap. It was one of HG's earliest novels, it had come out shortly after Myka's mother was murdered and she hadn't opened it since that first reading. Not sure why she had chosen it tonight, she absentmindedly flipped through the pages; reading a paragraph here and there until her eyes felt heavy. She closed the book and set in on her nightstand, switching the light off and snuggling down into her covers; thankfully, she finally fell asleep.

* * *

Helena paced back and forth in front of Myka's desk, bitting her thumbnail. "Why would he have made that recording?" She wondered out loud. Myka looked up in confusion, her eyebrows furrowed together.

"What?" She asked.

Helena pulled her thumb out of her mouth and propped herself half on Myka's desk; completely ignoring – or simply not caring – about their close proximity. Her head was completely wrapped up in the case. "Why would Amanda have filmed them that night?"

"They did it all the time." Myka said with a shrug.

"Well yes sure, the first few times its interesting and all, but the tenth? The fifteenth? Why would they have filmed it unless..."

Myka interrupted her. "Unless she knew something was going to happen to Donny that night!" Elated, Myka stood up from her desk. Helena grinned and followed her.

After speaking with Amanda, they discovered that she and Donny had broken up due to her becoming closer with Brandon. Helena sighed, she was liking these teenagers less and less the more she knew about them. She hoped Christina didn't grow up to be anything like these children, catty and horribly spoiled. Knowing that Brandon was the one to tell Amanda to shoot the video that night, only added to her suspicions about him. Clearly from the look on Myka's face, she felt the same.

"Back to the school?" She asked. Myka nodded.

Brandon was sitting on a wall outside, fiddling with his mobile. He had a cocky smile plastered all over his face as he spoke to them. Helena wanted to smack it off.

"Sounds like you're scrambling for a defense." She said cheekily.

Unfortunately, Brandon didn't even blink. "Well, you guys have been running around accusing everyone of murder, I figured my turn was coming and I'd better be ready."

"Ah, yes only now we know it was you." Helena stated calmly.

"Where were you that night?" Myka asked.

"I took a walk, I knew you guys wouldn't believe me so I asked Spencer to cover for me."

"And that's what you guys so right? You cover for each other."

Brandon smirked and stepped forward slowly. "Exactly. Look Detective, you're hot and everything, but if you had any actual evidence you'd have already arrested me." He said. Helena wanted to smack the look off this boy's face very much. How dare he? When she was his age, sure she had been a little cheeky, but she would have never spoken to an adult that way, especially someone like a detective. "Me? I have a video showing that Max shot Donny. Do you really think a jury is going to believe he didn't get drunk and off himself?"

"This is just a game for you isn't it? Like selling drugs in the park." Myka asked. Helena turned and looked at her partner, taken aback from the deadly look on her face. Brandon was getting under her skin as well.

"Well if it was, looks like I'd be winning." Brandon shot back. He took a step closer, invading Myka's personal space and lowered his voice. "But hey, if you think I did it, let's see you prove it." And with that he sauntered off, leaving Helena and a furious Myka behind.

"I hate that kid!" Helena exclaimed angrily. Myka nodded and walked ahead with a new energy in her step. Helena followed quickly behind, never wanting that furious anger to be directed at her. Myka was not a woman to piss off.

* * *

"Actually having to prove things is really very tedious." HG complained. Myka glanced up from her computer and let out a small smile.

"Welcome to my world." She said. HG blew her hair out of her face, failed, and flipped it back. Myka went back to her computer.

"Brandon had this all planned!" HG said in frustration. "He gets Max to shoot Donny, then gets Max completely blackout pissed and kills him!"

"There's no such thing as the perfect murder Wells."

"No yet!" HG said. "But one day, I shall write it!"

Myka stifled her chuckle as Claudia and Pete sat down next to them. From the looks on their faces, they hadn't been having any more luck than HG and Myka.

"Okay, we canvased every store, stand and homeless guy from the park's entrance at 72nd." Claudia said with a very exaggerated sigh.

"And no one remembers seeing Max or Brandon that night." Pete added.

Myka leaned back in her chair and ran her fingers through her hair in frustration. This case was not going how she wanted it too. "If we can't put Brandon at the murder scene then the DA will never move on him."

"Yeah, too bad Max didn't have his video phone recording when Brandon murdered him." Pete offered. "That would totally lock him in." She ignored him and grabbed Max's phone off the table. "Then his phone woulda done that...that thing." Myka watched as Pete made exaggerated movements with his hand. HG and Claudia looked at him funny, but Myka had been his partner for years, she could speak Pete.

"Synched." She translated. HG and Claudia nodded as Pete yelled and tried to high five Myka. She kept her hands on the phone and ignored him again."Wait!" She yelled. "Synched!" HG, Claudia and Pete looked to her in confusion. Myka leaned forward excitedly. "If they were together that night then their phones would have automatically synched, there would be a record!" All three of them leaned closer as Myka scrolled through the phone in her hands. Finding what she was looking for, she glanced up and caught HG's eyes first and grinned. "Pete, we're gonna need Brandon to come back in, call him up."

"Haha! Yes ma'am!" Pete said, jumping up and giving Claudia a high five before running off.

About half an hour later, Brandon was sitting in an interrogation room. "You have the right to have a lawyer present and if you cannot afford one, one will be appointed to you." Myka stated as soon as she and HG walked into the room.

"Ah, well, he can afford a million lawyers can't you Brandon?" HG asked as she slid into her seat next to Myka. Brandon barely blinked.

"That's cool, I don't want a lawyer." He said. Myka glanced up at the expression on his face. "This is way more fun." He said, looking her up and down. Myka could play his game. Her mask was set, this was her interrogation room, and she knew what she was doing. This child couldn't phase her one bit.

Myka gave a shrug and lifted a piece of paper up. "Maybe you'd like to just sign a confession then?" She asked casually. "Save us all some time?"

"Sure." Brandon said, surprising Myka – and HG – a little, but neither woman let it show. Brandon clicked his pen and took the paper. "I confess..." He looked back up to Myka and stared at her chest. "That I'm dying to cop a feel under your blouse." He smiled and slapped the pen down on the table. "There, now I feel so much better."

Myka didn't let it show how much this kid pissed her off. Neither did HG, but Myka felt her stiffen as Brandon spoke and watched her clench her fists together. Rather than blow up at him, HG looked across the table and shared a look with Myka. She gave the woman a slight nod. HG smiled and pulled her cell phone out of her jacket pocket.

"Are you sure you don't want to call someone? You're parents maybe?" She asked.

"Why would I worry them?" Brandon asked cockily.

"Yes, I made a call a little awhile ago to my bookie..." HG began. "I was standing in the street outside Nova waiting for my car..."

"Oh yeah I love that place." Brandon interrupted.

HG didn't let it phase her at all. "The black squid pasta is amazing." She retorted back. Myka rolled her eyes but watched, impressed as HG went on. "Anyway, I was talking on my mobile when the valet pulled up with my car and all the sudden my call got cut off. I realized the bluetooth in my car picked up the call automatically, because they were linked."

Myka wasted no time, the two of them had planned this while they had been waiting for Brandon to come in. She leaned forward and picked up where HG had left off. "You told us that all your phones auto share media files because they're bluetooth linked right?"

"So?"

"So your mobile, linked with Max's mobile the night he was killed." HG answered.

"It's a digital fingerprint that places you within twenty feet of Max at the time of his murder." Myka said, keeping her voice controlled.

"You did say if she had some actual evidence then she should arrest you." HG said to Brandon.

"You took advantage over Max's guilt over Donny's death and you got him blackout drunk; and then you put a gun in his hand, pressed it against his temple and then you pulled the trigger."

"Why would I do that?" Brandon asked, still not looking rattled.

"To cover your tracks over killing Donny." Myka spat back. This kid was getting on her very last nerve.

He leaned forward angrily and Myka could see some of his control slipping. "Why would I kill Donny?" He sneered.

"Amanda." HG offered.

Brandon didn't take his eyes of Myka for a second. He folded his hands together and sat back up straight calmly. "Amanda is with me, not Donny." He said proudly.

"Well, yes only after Donny lost all his money." HG said.

"Which makes you sloppy seconds." Myka added, a little too happily to get that dig in there; but she was professional enough to not let it show on her face.

"It had to eat you alive knowing Amanda had been with Donny." HG said as she stood up.

"Especially since he got way more than just under her blouse right?" Myka asked, raising her eyebrows at him. The room was silent for a moment or two. Myka kept her stare at Brandon and could feel HG doing the same from behind her. Despite her complaints about the author, they were really playing off each other well right now. Myka knew that you needed a good partnership in an interrogation, and the energy felt right today, like something clicked into place. She knew they were going to get a confession, they were almost there, Myka could feel it.

Finally, Brandon spoke up."I have a video that shows that Max killed Donny. _Not me._" He said with a glare to Myka.

"Yes and arranging that was _very_ impressive." HG said, standing just behind Myka. "Fooling Spencer, Roomy and Amanda was easy they didn't handle the gun, but Max was another story." Myka watched Brandon play with his fingers as HG went on. "He just couldn't let it go could he? Then he remembered, _you_ gave him the gun so he called you and asked to meet you."

"We have a record of the call." Myka said, leaning back calmly in her chair with her arms crossed in front of her. Brandon continued nervously playing with his fingers.

HG moved from standing next to Myka to walking around the table over to Brandon. "You knew something was up so you brought the gun and what, vodka or was Max more of a scotch man?" HG leaned in close. "He knew all about you, Donny and Amanda and he had to wonder, did you set me up to kill my best friend?" Myka watched, impressed as HG went through the whole story. "And when he realized you had he wasn't very well going to keep it to himself now was he? If only he had been strong enough to man up and be quiet right? Weak people just don't get it do they Brandon? Sometimes they just have to be lead to the truth."

Myka watched as the shift in Brandon's face changed. HG was doing wonderfully, she had pulled him in just enough. Brandon smirked. "Exactly." He whispered.

HG stood up quickly and looked to Myka. "Did he just say exactly?" She asked. "Because I heard him say, exactly." She mimicked his whisper and Myka tried very hard not to laugh.

"Yep. I heard it too." She said, standing up.

Brandon glared at HG. "You tricked me!" He accused. HG only shrugged and sat back down joyfully.

"It's called admission against interest." Myka said knocking on the glass window.

"Which is simply a clever way of saying confession." HG explained to Brandon.

"Pretty sweet huh?" Myka asked HG with a grin. HG nodded. "Oh..." Myka placed her hands on the table and leaned forward to Brandon. "And the funny thing is, I bet you thought you were pretty clever to go back and move Donny's body right? But the thing is, that we would have never figured it out of you hadn't." She said cooly and sat back down next to HG.

"Well, _she_ would have never figured it out." HG insisted.

"Oh like _you _would have figured it out!" Myka scoffed.

HG turned to Myka and grinned broadly. "I definitely would have figured it out."

"Are you kidding me right now?" Myka asked.

"Honest truth, straight face, from my heart." HG said. They continued their banter as Myka lead Brandon outside and an officer cuffed him. Myka crossed her arms and leaned back against the wall with a satisfied sigh. "We make quite the team no?" HG asked a moment later. Myka bit her lip to keep from smiling and gave a small shrug instead.

"You're not quite as bad at this as you look I guess." She said and walked over to her desk to get her coat.

"Yes indeed!" HG said following her. "Right, hang on, not as bad as I look? What exactly do you mean by that?" She asked.

Myka put on her coat and flipped her hair out, smiling at the dark haired woman. "Night Wells." She said, walking off and placing her cap back on her head.

"No! Come back here, what do you mean by 'not as bad as I look'?" HG called after her. "I look spectacular thank you very much! Myka? Myka!"

The elevator doors were closing and Myka gave HG a little wave and cracked up as the doors finally closed. HG had stamped her foot like an impatient child. Myka heard one last, very loud and very annoyed, "MYKA!" as the elevator went down.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello! So, I've gotten a few questions from you guys. I've been writing as if you have seen both shows, so to those who haven't seen Castle, feel free to PM me with any questions and I will be happy to clear them up for you. I will be explaining things more as the story goes on, so be patient, but if there is something you're confused on, don't hesitate to ask. Also, a little game for you all, I've slipped some actual HG Wells quotes into this chapter (and will be doing so in others when they fit) see if you can pick them out:) ****Enjoy! Please let me know what you think.**

Myka blew a curl out of her face in frustration, glaring at the woman sitting next to her desk.

"My lord, this is quite possibly the worst coffee I have ever tasted." HG exclaimed in disgust. Her accent only made her sound even more pompous and annoying. Myka wanted to punch her. "It's actually kind of fascinating, it tastes like a..." She took another sip as Myka bit the inside of her cheek to keep herself quiet. "It takes like a monkey peed in battery acid." HG finally decided. She handed the mug over and asked casually, "try some?"

Myka sighed and took a deep breath. "Don't you have a book coming out today or something?" She asked. Desperate for a minute of silence and some time to herself.

"Yes, so?"

"So, you are watching me do paperwork...it's creepy." Myka said. "Don't you have somewhere else to be?"

HG smiled and looked Myka up and down – an annoying habit she did from time to time – causing Myka to feel self conscious. "I like it here." She said. Myka glared, but then began to grin as the look on HG's face changed.

"Oh my gosh, you're hiding!" Myka said a little gleefully. HG rolled her eyes and looked away from Myka. "You're book is coming out today and you are hiding!"

"No!" HG insisted. "Hiding would be building a fortress out of my duvet and downing a fifth of scotch but apparently that is considering unhealthy." She took another sip of her battery acid pee and cringed.

Myka grinned. "I thought that you don't care what people think?"

"I don't." HG insisted, a little pouty, "much." She mumbled. Myka bit back her grin and answered her phone as HG pretended to gag from her coffee. Myka grabbed her coat and stood up, ignoring the other woman. "Dead body?" HG asked as she followed Myka. "Yes!"

As they arrived on scene, one of the local cops asked Myka if HG was indeed the famous author everyone was talking about. Myka only nodded and walked into the apartment.

"You're really basing your new character on Bering?" The cop asked.

HG grinned broadly. "Every writer needs a muse." She stated. Myka halted and turned around sharply, causing HG to almost bump into her.

"Call me your muse again and I will break both your legs kay?"

"Got it." HG said with a salute. Myka only frowned and turned back to the crime scene. HG was so odd sometimes. Myka walked over to Leena and bent down next to the body that had been wrapped up in a rug. Listening to her friend, she tried not to react to the fact that HG had bent down next to her – barely leaving an inch between them. Myka shifted slightly to move away, but almost bumped into Leena. The woman gave her a knowing look and Myka glared. When Myka spoke up her protests about this being a robbery, HG spoke at the exact same time as she did, causing both Pete and Claudia to raise their eyebrows, and another look from Leena. Myka bit her lip and ignored all of them, she had a case to solve.

As they walked out of the precinct hours later Myka decided to walk home. Sometimes that helped her think. HG paused when Myka wasn't behind her and turned around, "where are you going?" she asked.

"I think I'm gonna walk, get some fresh air." Myka said, pulling her coat around her a little tighter. It wasn't too cold, but it was certainly a brisk fall night. HG hesitated, Myka expected some comment that would infuriate her, instead HG smiled sweetly.

"Would you mind if I joined you? Its a nice night, I'd rather not call a car."

Myka's immediate reaction was to say no, but something about HG's tone and facial expression stopped her. There was no hint of the childish, rich, player there; taken aback a little, Myka found herself nodding once with a shrug. "Sure." She said. HG's face lit up and she jogged over to Myka, jamming her bare hands into her pockets and strolling along next to Myka. They walked in silence for a few minutes – as silent as New York at night could be – and while Myka usually would have found that to be awkward, she was surprised to find she didn't. A man sped past them on a bicycle and HG chuckled. "What?" Myka asked.

HG grinned as she watched him go off into the night. "Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of the human race."

Myka rolled her eyes. "You talk weirder than anyone I've ever met."

HG beamed.

They fell back into a silence for a while and Myka was left alone with thoughts of the case swirling around in her head. She couldn't get the look of the wife's face out of her head as she wrestled with how to tell her daughters that their father was dead. As usual, Myka's thoughts immediately went to her own mother. Despite the fact that she was murdered years ago, at times like these, the wound felt fresh and painful. She was afraid that she made the wrong choice telling HG she could join her. No way was Myka going to break down with the english woman watching her.

Myka hated this. She hated that years later, out of the blue she could simply be hit with the pain full force, sometimes barely even knowing where it came from. It consumed her and wouldn't let go. Feeling like she was going to lose it any moment, Myka quickly spoke up, desperately needing to be thinking of anything else. "So, how come you're english but your mother and daughter aren't?" She asked, hoping she sounded like she was making causal conversation.

If HG noticed anything odd in her tone of voice, she didn't acknowledge it, and Myka was grateful. "Ah, yes, well technically I am an American."

Myka snorted. She couldn't help it, HG's accent, her facial expression as she said it, Myka kept laughing. It was just what she needed. "What?" She asked through her laughter.

HG smiled. "My mother, Martha, you've met her, very dramatic; she was – well is – an actress. She did quite well for herself in the theatre before I was born." HG said proudly. "She got a part in the West End, was desperate to do theatre in England and met my father there."

"What's his name?" Myka asked, not remembering HG mentioning it.

The author shrugged. "No idea, I never met him. Apparently I get my love of company from my mother. She doesn't remember his name, or at least she says she doesn't."

Myka glanced down at HG, "doesn't that bother you?" She asked.

HG paused as if thinking about it seriously. "No." She answered a moment later. "I could make him into anything I wanted. Some days I thought he was an astronaut, some days a major league baseball player, a king, a spy, a circus performer, anything I could come up with. He could never let me down that way." HG smiled up at Myka. "Also, I've always preferred the company of women to men." She smirked. Myka rolled her eyes and pulled her coat a little tighter. "I had my mother, I never really figured I needed him. What really matters is what you do with what you have. My mother, however wrapped up in herself and her work and boyfriends, she was always there and I knew that." HG's cheerful expression dropped slightly and Myka new there was more to that story than HG was letting on. Myka didn't press it. Just as soon as her frown had appeared, it vanished and the familiar grin came back. "And now I have Christina." She said happily. Myka smiled. It was hard not to, HG was clearly completely in love with her daughter. It was refreshing to see that she wasn't all jokes and innuendos.

"How old is she?" Myka asked.

"Eleven, going on thirty." HG laughed.

"Oh no!" Myka joked.

"No not like that, she...Christina has always been much too wise for her age. When she was little she set a bedtime for herself and was very angry if I tried to keep her up after it. She's the one who makes me eat vegetables..." HG shook her head affectionately as she trailed off. Myka had to admit, she liked this side of HG. Hearing her talk about her daughter humanized her somehow. "She's going to be a much better woman that I ever will be." HG said wistfully.

Myka surprised herself and bumped her shoulder into HG's. "You're not so bad." She said with a grin.

HG beamed and Myka melted a little bit. The woman really was beautiful. She could see how so many men and women fell for her charms so easily. "Why Detective Bering, I do believe I'm growing on you!"

"Don't push it." Myka warned, but she bit back a smile. They fell into a comfortable silence for the third time that night and Myka was a little disappointed that they were almost to her apartment. "You never actually answered the question though." She reminded HG. The author frowned in confusion. "Why the accent, if you're american?"

"Ah! Right, well, my mother came back home and realized she was pregnant, took time off work and had me; then when I was a little over one she was offered another part in the West End. She loved working there so we moved back for a while. She was quite successful in London and she liked it there. We lived there until I was six, technically I have a dual citizenship."

"Don't kids usually lose accents though, like when you moved back here?"

"I probably might have, to a degree, but my mother brought a gentleman home with her from London and he stay for two years – longest relationship I can remember her having – and after I got myself kicked out of all the New York schools, she enrolled me in some in London. I spent a lot of time there back and forth through my teenage years. The accent stuck."

They had arrived at Myka's apartment. She brushed a curl out of her face and smiled lightly at HG. "Well, it suits you." She said sincerely. She couldn't imagine what HG would sound like with an american accent, it wouldn't fit her at all.

"Why thank you darling, I happen to agree."

Myka raised her eyebrows a little at the 'darling' but let it go. "Well, this is me, do you want to call a car?"

"Oh, I can walk." HG said. Myka looked around. She didn't like the idea of HG walking home alone this late at night. HG seemed to read her mind. "Worried about my well being Detective? I can assure you I can take care of myself."

"Would you just call a car, you can wait in my apartment for it." Myka offered before she knew what she was doing.

HG grinned mischievously. "Offering me a night cap?"

Myka rolled her eyes. "Yes or no?" She asked impatiently.

"Thank you." HG said with a nod and followed Myka upstairs.

Myka groaned internally. Her apartment was a mess and the last person she wanted up there was the famous HG Wells. Her crappy, little apartment would give away a lot, and Myka new HG would be looking. The author couldn't help herself, Myka wished she had just let her walk home. She would have been fine; but the cop in her couldn't do it. Serve and protect was ingrained into her. The minute she walked in she scanned the room trying to see what she needed to try to subtly hide. "Phone's right there." She pointed as she shucked her coat and sneakily slipped a photograph of a younger version of herself with her mother into a drawer. Myka didn't need questions about that now. In her flustered state, she would probably lose it. HG took the phone and was on it all of five seconds while Myka quickly snatched up dirty clothes and threw them into her bedroom.

"They'll be here in fifteen minutes." HG announced.

"Oh, great, you um...want a glass of water or something?"

"I would love one thank you Myka." HG smiled and plopped down gracefully onto Myka's couch.

Myka didn't quite know how to handle this HG. The cocky, annoying writer she could deal with, she knew what to expect in that, as annoying as she was; but this...Myka had no idea how to deal with this. HG was being...Myka couldn't think of the right word. She quickly pulled out two glasses and filled them under the tap before going back out and handing one to HG. There really wasn't anywhere else for Myka to sit but on the couch next to HG so, reluctantly she sat down. HG watched her intently while she sipped her water and Myka shifted uncomfortably under her gaze.

"What?" Myka finally asked.

"You never mentioned your boyfriend." HG said. Confused, Myka stared dumbly at HG until she pointed to a picture frame next to the tv. Myka followed her gaze and caught on once she saw the old picture of her and Sam.

"Oh, no...he's not...I mean he _was_, but he...no that's a really old picture. Sam's dead."

HG's grin dropped and she immediately scooted closer to Myka and put an arm around her shoulders. "Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't...I'm sorry." HG said genuinely.

Myka was utterly confused. This was all too much, this case, her mother's murder creeping up on her, HG being...nice instead of annoying, talking about Sam, and...HG's arms around her; it was too much. Myka slipped out of HG's grasp and stood up, wrapping her arms around herself instinctually. "No, it's fine. It...it was a long time ago, we were rookies. Its fine really." Myka insisted. HG stood up as well and just as she moved closer and Myka was sure she would lose it completely a car beeped outside and Myka looked down out the window. "Your car's here."

"I can tell him to wait..." HG moved closer and Myka stepped back, noting the slightly hurt look on the other woman's face.

"No!" Myka insisted, not looking HG in the eyes. "I'm really fine HG. Thanks for the walk tonight, it was nice." Myka forced a smile on her face and looked up at HG. She knew she wasn't faking it that well, but she needed HG to leave. "See you tomorrow?" She asked.

HG paused like she was going to protest but instead she bit her lip and nodded. Myka remained where she was, arms wrapped around herself as HG slipped on her coat. HG stared at Myka a moment longer, than shocked her as she moved closer and placed a chaste kiss to Myka's cheek. "Thank you for a lovely evening Myka." She smiled lightly and walked outside.

Myka stayed where she was, watching as HG climbed into the taxi and looked back up at Myka's window with a small wave goodbye. Myka managed to return it, then felt her eyes welling up with tears as the car pulled away. The case, her mother, Sam, and now HG...Myka finally lost it. She crawled into bed and sobbed until she fell asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you for your reviews! Some of them gave me a huge goofy grin. I'm glad to see you like it so far:) Enjoy, and please let me know what you think. **

Helena sauntered into the 12th precinct the next morning and she instantly knew Myka's walls had gone back up. Back up with a moat, alligators and guards in the form of Claudia and Pete. Myka hadn't even looked up at Helena as she said hello, instead keeping her gaze down at her notes. Clearly some sort of lead had come in in the time it had taken Myka to call her and for her to arrive at the station. Helena had figured as much would happen after she left Myka's apartment the night before. The woman was an enigma, and figuring her out was driving Helena crazy. She chose to ignore Myka's coolness, assuming she felt embarrassed about last night. Helena didn't think she had a single thing to be embarrassed about but from what she had learned about Myka so far, she did not like showing any type of weakness.

Helena couldn't remember having a nicer night in a long time. Despite the fact that it hadn't lasted very long, talking with Myka about their personal lives had been refreshing. Seeing the protective nature of Myka as she made sure that Helena had a safe way home was very sweet. Helena was used to being the caretaker, it suited her. She had learned at an early age to take care of herself with her mother off at this play, or this party or a date with some man; it was second nature. Having Christina unexpectedly had only forced herself to grow up even more; at least, where her daughter was concerned.

Helena had frozen once she saw the pain in Myka's face the night before. The taller woman's voice had broken a little as she explained that her old boyfriend had died. Helena could sense it hadn't just been about him. Myka had been melancholy the whole night, but that moment seemed to be the last straw. On instinct, Helena had moved to hold her – not sure how else to proceed – but Myka had folded into herself and pushed Helena away. She had almost pushed back, but decided it wouldn't be the best idea, as much as it pained her, she had left Myka alone.

Since she had expected it, she didn't let it phase her. Helena spoke with Claudia and Pete while Myka did whatever she was doing and gave her the few moments she seemed to need to collect herself. Helena liked Pete and Claudia more than she thought she would. The two had a sort of brother sister relationship going on and watching them bicker and work together was always entertaining. Currently, they were going on and on about some video game that Helena had never heard of. She nodded and smiled along and stole glances over at Myka. Finally, she placed her phone in its receiver and walked over to the three of them.

"Pete, Claud, I want you to check the hotel where we found the rug the body was wrapped in..."

Helena cut her off. "Technically,_ I _discovered the rug." She said with a smirk. Myka took a breath and shot Helena a look before continuing on.

"Head over there and see what you can find." She finished. The two nodded, Pete promised to bring Helena a copy of the video game for her tomorrow and they went off.

"You play video games?" Myka asked as they made their way over to the coffee pot in the break room. Helena took the mug Myka offered, but the idea of drinking the drivel caused her to be nauseous. She decided that she was going to buy the precinct a new coffee maker, she couldn't stand this much longer.

"Video games are an excellent means of procrastination from writing." Helena said with a smile. "Though I prefer to play laser tag with Christina."

Helena looked up and saw Myka smiling into her coffee mug. "Laser tag?"

"It's a brilliant game. You should join us sometime." Helena added it casually on instinct but picturing Myka decked out in the laser equipment running through her apartment with Christina brought a smile to her face. That was something she would very much like to see.

Myka smiled softly, sipped her coffee and stood up straight. "We need to find out who the call girl was that our man was meeting with. If we can talk to her, we might be able to get some more information."

Helena took note of the complete change in subject and the fact that Myka hadn't answered her, but she sighed and nodded. She could be patient when she needed to be but she fully intended to push Myka later. For now, she followed Myka back to her desk and reached out to take the photos of the Councilman. Inspecting them with a laugh, she showed one to Myka. "I must hand it to the man, he is incredibly flexible for someone of his age. Look at that, have you ever done that?" She asked. Myka only glared. Helena ignored her. "I have, it's quite difficult, he must to pilates or yoga of some sort."

"Would you put those away?" Myka asked, clearly annoyed. Helena flipped through them one more time before setting them down. "Why is it always the family values guys that get caught with their pants down?" Myka asked.

"Because darling, the universe loves irony; and because most people are hypocrites."

Myka sighed. "Well, hopefully the website the PI showed us has our girl on it."

Pete and Claudia came back from a dead end with the rug, and the whole group gathered around the computer. "Damn!" Pete muttered as Claudia pulled up the site. "Those are some seriously fine five star class misdemeanors."

Helena had to agree with him. Claudia leaned over and whispered, "dude, between you and me, you ever pay for it?"

Helena smirked. "Are you counting my marriages?" Claudia laughed. "Wait! Stop there, that is the woman in the photos."

"Hot damn, Miss Tiffany." Pete whistled. Myka walked up behind him, slapped the back of his head and dropped files into Helena's lap.

"Control yourselves." She said as Pete made a mockery of rubbing his head. "We're gonna have some trouble locating the IP address, if its not local, we're gonna have to get other departments to cooperate for us."

Helena tuned her and Claudia out. Whatever they were talking about was uninteresting and sounded like it would take forever. She pulled out her cell phone, and dialed the number on the website. "Or we could just do it the easy way." She said with a smile. Claudia whipped around and stared at Helena with her mouth open. "Hello, my name is Helena and I am a _very_ generous woman looking to arrange a date with Tiffany." Helena looked over and caught Myka's glare. The taller woman lunged and tried to pry the phone out of Helena's hands. Reacting quickly, Helena jumped up and ran around Pete and Claudia, stepping out of Myka's reach. "If you could give me a call on my phone..." Myka reached around and almost grabbed the phone as Helena twisted her body away.

"Wells! Stop it!" She hissed, trying the other way around. Helena only shoved a spinning chair in front of her and stepped to the side again. "Wells!"

"My number is 347-555-0179 thank you!" Helena said quickly and hung up the phone. Myka did not stop her advance. In fact she got right in Helena's face and began yelling.

"Wells! You can't just call and arrange a date with a prostitute." She chided.

"Why ever not?" Helena asked, smartly backing away from the infuriated woman.

"Because we're the police!" Myka yelled.

"No, no, no." Helena said with a cheeky grin. "_You're_ the police. I'm simply a lonely upscale woman looking for a date." Myka shot her possibly the most terrifying glare yet. Helena only grinned broadly, an angry Myka was – certainly slightly terrifying – but also quite adorable. "Bet I find her first!" She said as she wriggled her eyebrows.

A delivery boy walked into the station just as Myka was probably about to begin screaming and go from adorable angry, to plain old scary angry. "Is there a Helena G. Wells here?" He asked.

Helena spun around and raised her hand, happy to be momentarily away from Myka's anger. "Right here!"

"Where do you want it boss?" He asked, indicating to a very large package. "Ah yes brilliant! Straight through there." She said, pointing to the break room.

"Wells?" Myka asked through gritted teeth.

Helena did a little hop and walked back over to Myka, placing and arm around the taller woman's waist she gave her a little shove and directed her forward. "Darling, you are going to love this." She said excitedly.

"No, I'm pretty sure I won't." Myka answered, allowing herself to be pushed forward, but not happy about it.

"Claudia! Pete! Come here!" Helena waved them over, practically bouncing on her toes. Pete jumped up eagerly and ran into the break room, pushing Myka to move faster. "Yes, just place that down right there." Helena directed. She turned to the trio and smiled genuinely. "Because you have all been so wonderfully hospitable to me, I wanted to do something to return the favor. And because your coffee is bloody awful I got you an expresso machine." Helena spun the box around with a flourish and stroked the side of it happily. Myka's expression never wavered, but Pete and Claudia grinned and Pete offered Helena a high five.

"I think my phone is ringing." Myka said. It clearly wasn't, but Myka turned and walked out of the room.

Helena eagerly tore open the box and began assembling the device; waving away the offer of help from the delivery boy. "Nonsense, I'm an incredibly intelligent woman, I can read a set of instructions." She happily got the machine running while Pete and Claudia watched, looking rather impressed. Helena had always been good at building things. If she hadn't become a writer, she would have wanted to have been an inventor of sorts, that, or a pirate.

* * *

Myka sat perched on one of Leena's examination tables, her coat on, swinging her legs back and forth while she waited for her friend. Minutes later, Leena walked in, and began slipping out of her white lab coat. "Hey." Myka said. Leena jumped in surprise.

"Damn girl, you scared me." She accused.

"Leena, you're surrounded by corpses!" Myka protested.

Leena hung up her lab coat, and put her tools away before turning back around to Myka. "Yeah, but I don't expect the living after 7 o'clock."

"Funny." Myka said dryly. "Neither to do I."

"I'm an ME, what's your excuse?" Leena asked.

"Oh don't be mean!"

"You deserve it." Leena said walking towards Myka with a grin. "Getting a drink with me after work instead of getting your freak on with writer girl?"

Myka glared. "Yeah, well, she is a _woman_; not to mention, annoying, self-centered, egotistical, and completely..."

"Fun!" Leena interrupted her. Myka made a face at her. "Take it from me girl, you need some fun." She said. Myka pouted and glared at the same time, she wasn't sure it gave off the effect she was going for. "I mean how bad can she be?" Leena asked as Myka's phone rang.

"Bering?" She asked, still with a pout.

"Guess who's got a date with a prostitute!?" HG's cheerful, annoying accent filled the room. Myka didn't say a single word, she held up the phone and glared at Leena. Her point had just been proven for her. Leena only mouthed 'fun' and walked away.

Over an hour later, Myka stood in the middle of a restaurant watching as Tiffany – tall, blonde, tan, blue eyed slender woman in a very tight hot pink dress – walked up to where HG was sitting. She gritted her teeth as HG jumped up and shook her hand warmly, introducing herself. Myka huffed and walked forward, overhearing the conversation as she got closer.

"Ah, well aren't you a lady." Tiffany said seductively as HG pulled out a chair for her.

"We are a dying breed." HG responded. Myka rolled her eyes walked up to the table, enjoying the look of terror that crossed Tiffany's face as she sat down next to her at the chair HG had pulled out for her.

"Detective Myka Bering, NYPD, we'd like to ask you some questions regarding your relationship with Councilman Jeff Horn." Myka sated professionally. Tiffany looked across the table to HG and frowned.

"Sorry." HG whispered. Myka refrained herself from kicking her shins under the table.

As they walked back into the station, HG gloated. "Politics, escorts and blackmail? This just keeps getting better. And, I did find her first I might add." Myka didn't quite feel her enthusiasm.

"If he couldn't keep making payments on his own, he might have needed to use campaign money. He must have left some sort of trail." She said as she shed her coat and headed straight for the break room coffee; pointedly ignoring the fancy expresso machine, she poured herself regular old black coffee into her NYPD cup, added in a packet of sugar and tried to ignore HG watching her.

Ever since the night they had gone for a walk and HG had come up to Myka's apartment, she hadn't quite known how to act around the english woman. HG acted like it wasn't a big deal, she was still as annoying as ever, but Myka couldn't help but feel exposed. Her apartment for one was complete crap, compared to what she assumed was a huge, beautiful, expensive loft HG lived in, it must have looked pathetic. Not to mention how Myka had reacted when HG had brought up Sam. Myka had wanted the floor to swallow her up and save her rather than look up and see pity in the other woman's eyes. She was sick of pity. She had been getting looks of pity since the day the policemen came to her house to inform her that her mother had been murdered. They only became worse after Sam died. Not only was she the daughter of a murdered lawyer, she was a rookie with a dead boyfriend and partner. Thank god she had gotten Pete after that, anyone else and she might not have survived it. Pete knew when to make jokes and when to back off. The two of them became so in sync they barely needed to communicate with words out in the field. Truthfully, she wouldn't have made detective so young – maybe if at all – if not for Pete. In some ways, Myka missed the days when it was just the two of them out in their patrol cars, doing the grunt work and leaving the difficult stuff up to the detectives. While she certainly hadn't been what most would call happy – or healthy – when she was with Pete she felt better than she had since her mother died.

Everyone had joked that the two of them had been dating, it was easy to see how close they became. Myka hadn't exactly taken care of herself well after her mother's death. Sam had helped, but while she was sure she had loved him; thinking back on it now, she wasn't sure if they would have lasted very much longer. He got frusturated with Myka when she forgot to eat, or woke up screaming from a nightmare, or spent days crying in bed. Part of her didn't blame him, if their situations had been reversed, she was sure it would have been hard for her, but she couldn't help it. That first year after her mother's murder, Myka had taken time off school, and dropped into a very unhealthy routine. While her father drove himself into a drunken stupor – and stayed there ever since – Myka barely ate, very rarely got out of bed let alone showered and left her room. HG's books were the only things that were able to hold her attention and keep her mind off her mother. Joanna had bought one of HG earliest novels and loved it, making sure Myka read it too. The two of them had devoured the first five books with great vigor. Myka was sure they would only make her feel worse, since it was something they had shared and were stories chock full of murder; but somehow, they had a healing effect instead. Eventually, she dragged herself off to a shrink, got up, forced herself out of bed, showered and went back to school, applying for the police academy. She met Sam there and he certainly helped speed the process along but she had her bad days and Sam wasn't really good with grief.

His death had of course come once Myka had finally seemed to get over her mother's murder; as much as she could be. At least this time Myka had answers. There wasn't the horrible empty feeling of the unknown. Myka had been there, it was an accident. Many people had known about her and Sam. Myka had taken some grief from her superiors for it, partners dating wasn't exactly within the rules. Luckily, most people weren't aware until after his death, and they weren't about to bring it up then. Pete and Myka however, after a while, became fair game. At first it had pissed Myka off, but then she learned to just shrug it off until everyone got bored. Pete helped – again – and she stopped being bothered by people's jokes.

If not for Pete, Myka probably would have lost it. Her father was still perpetually drunk and in no state to comfort her about anything. More times than not, Pete camped out on Myka's couch, made sure she ate three meals a day, and covered for her when she needed a few minutes to herself. Once or twice, he even read one of HG's books out loud to her to help her sleep. She swore him to secrecy and threatened his life once HG had begun shadowing Myka. For all Pete's jokes and nonsense, Myka trusted him with her secrets and her life like she never had with anyone else. He still covered for her when she needed a day off, which was usually only limited to her mother's birthday, her death date, and Myka's birthday. She allowed herself those days to break down as much as she needed, stay in bed and cry, spend all day at her mother's grave, whatever she felt like doing. She got those days, and those days only other than a moment or two, otherwise, she would get back to unhealthy habits. At her very worst, she had lost almost thirty pounds, and had to be hospitalized in order to get her strength back. Myka was not about to ever let that happen again.

The night HG had come over had been one of her few allowed moments. She had almost broken down in front of the other woman, and she wouldn't forgive herself for it. She prayed that HG would simply let the matter go, or assume it had solely to do with Sam, but she had a feeling that wasn't the case. HG was biding her time, and Myka wasn't looking forward to it at all.

"Do you have something against foamy richness?" HG asked while she expertly made a show out of her coffee concoction.

"Yeah." Myka said as she sipped her coffee. "It annoys me."

HG looked like she was about to say something in protest, but luckily for Myka, Pete and Claudia waltzed in with new information on their blackmailer.

"Turns out our boy Bruce, got his badge taken away for excessive force before turning into the PI business. And, he's got a 38 registered to his name." Pete said as he made himself a cup of HG's fancy coffee.

"That's the type of gun that killed the councilman!" HG said.

"Indeed it is." Claudia said, taking the cup HG offered her. Myka watched in annoyance as the three of them all grinned at each other and clinked their mugs together. "God this is so good." Claudia moaned.

"Delicious." HG added, shooting Myka a look. She rolled her eyes and walked away. Having the three of them becoming friends was annoying. They could gang up on her now.

* * *

Helena watched from behind the one sided mirror as Myka and Pete interrogated the PI that had taken the pictures of the councilman cheating on his wife. While Helena decided that she and Myka made a much more effective interrogation team, she could appreciate that Pete and Myka worked well together. Unfortunately, not much came out of it other than confirmation that he was in fact the person blackmailing the councilman, and that he should have been getting the money the night he was murdered. Feeling dejected, Helena bid everyone goodnight and headed home to have dinner with Christina.

Later while she was in her study, Christina came in, clad in her pjs. "Hello sweetheart, did you finish your homework?" Helena asked.

"Yep."

"Would you care to do mine?"

"That depends, how much are you willing to pay me for it?" Christina asked cheekily. Helena looked up with a grin.

"Oh darling, I've taught you well." She said proudly. Christina giggled and perched herself on top of Helena's desk.

"Gina called, she wanted me to remind you about your book signing tomorrow night."

"Oh, well that was nice of her." Helena said.

"Yeah, and if you don't show..." Christina paused and pulled open a paper she had folded in her hands. Helena looked back up at her daughter curiously. "She will, drip honey on your eyeballs and let loose a hundred fire ants." Christina smiled. Now, that sounded much more like Helena's ex-wife than a friendly reminder.

Helena picked up one of her book reviews. "Ah, now darling what sounds worse, a hundred fire ants on your eyeballs or reading to a crowd; 'prose so bad it sent me screaming out into the snow'?" She asked, quoting from the review.

Christina smiled and slipped off of the desk and onto her mother's lap. "If you really want to feel bad about yourself, then you should read the review in _The Ledger_." She said, pulling up the article on Helena's computer.

Helena pouted and leaned her chin on Christina's shoulder. "Ugh, that bloody elite tosser, what's he saying about me now?"

"Helena G. Wells' stirring finale reminds us what good pulp fiction is all about. It makes us desire a world of startling imperfections so we can rise above and become the heroes we always imagined ourselves to be." Christina read proudly then pulled away from her mother and turned to her with a smile.

"It used to be such a good paper, to it have fallen so far is really..."

"Shut up!" Christina yelled, wrapping her arms around Helena's neck and kissing her cheek. "I'm proud of you."

"Ah, yes, remember that the next time I sing the peanut butter song in front of your friends." Helena said, kissing Christina back.

"Have you caught the killer yet?" She asked as she leaned back into Helena's chest.

"No." Helena said with a slight pout. She wrapped her arms around Christina and sat there in silence for a few moments. "If you were in a lot of trouble and needed a quarter of a million dollars, where would you get it?" She asked.

"I'd just ask you." Christina answered, giving her mother one more kiss. "Goodnight!"

Helena smiled at her daughter's retreating form, then turned her attention back to the computer. Noticing an article on the councilman's wife next to her review, she grinned as an idea occurred to her. Grabbing her coat, Helena ran downstairs, yelling for her mother to stay home with Christina and hailed a cab. She burst into the dark and quiet station, looking furiously around for Myka. She realized maybe calling might have been helpful, the detective could have gone home, but something in her didn't think so. Myka's desk was empty, but looked like the curly haired woman had only been there moments before. Helena looked around and saw her familiar form through the break room window.

"Hi!" She said hurriedly. Myka jumped and dropped her coffee mug onto the expresso machine.

"Hi." She answered back in a high pitched voice. Helena had clearly just scared the living daylights out of her.

"There's something I need to show you!" Helena said, not really noticing how much she had frightened Myka, and turned and ran back to Myka's desk. "I found this when I looked through his records from his first campaign. Horn wasn't wealthy, but his wife came from money. She used her trust funds to finance his first campaign." Helena explained excitedly. She looked over to Myka and saw a grin creep across her face.

"All this time we thought Horn was hiding his affair from his wife..."

"Yes! But what if she knew about the affair, what if he got the blackmail money from her?" Helena asked. Myka's grin widened.

"Good job Wells." Myka said, standing and already arranging for Mrs Horn to come in to be interviewed in the morning. Helena sighed happily to herself and watched Myka work.

The next morning, Helena was allowed in the interrogation room; this time however, she sat back and – mostly – let Myka do the talking. Helena watched in awe as Myka pulled the confession out of the woman. Rather than allow herself the shame of being one of those wives that stood by their unfaithful politician husband, she conspired with her husband's best friend to murder him.

As they walked out of the interrogation room, Helena's phone rang. "Hello?"

"Mom! Where are you?" Christina asked.

"Where am I supposed to be?"

"Fire ants? Eyeballs?" Christina reminded her.

Helena panicked. Gina was not above finding fire ants and breaking into her home in the middle of the night. It was half of what had attracted Helena to the woman in the first place. "Stall for me!" She yelled to her daughter, hung up the phone and ran out of the precinct without saying goodbye to Myka.

She managed to get to the bookstore only fifteen minutes later than she was originally supposed to be there. Gina was thankfully nowhere in sight. She was going to buy Christina a pony, perhaps two. Right at the end of her reading Helena looked up to the crowd, and nearly choked on her words. Strutting into the bookstore in a very tight, very sexy, and very short, pink dress was none other than Detective Myka Bering. Myka grinned as she slipped out of her coat and Helena managed to finish her paragraph without making a complete fool out of herself.

The crowed dispersed and Helena lost sight of Myka for a few minutes as she quickly signed a few books for some fans. Catching sight of her talking with a man Helena didn't recognize, she quickly made her way over to the tall woman.

"Detective Bering, to what do I owe this unexpected pleasure?"

Myka turned away from the man after saying goodbye, then smirked deliciously at Helena. "I just figured if you're gonna bother me at my work, I should bother you at yours. That was quite a reading, very moving." She said.

"Are you making fun of me?" Helena asked, crossing her arms.

Myka grinned and very dramatically – along with mimicking Helena's accent – said, "good, she thought as the wind gathered up her hair, no one will see my tears." Switching back to her regular voice, she smirked. "How does wind gather up hair I'm just curious."

"Oh, you're telling me how to do my job?"

"Irritating isn't it?" Myka said, biting her lip in a way that if Helena wasn't annoyed would have caused her to feel quite a lot of inappropriate things. Before she could respond, her mother and daughter ran up behind her.

"Oh, well look at you!" Martha said complimenting Myka. "Everyone is buying your book!" She yelled happily to Helena as she hooked their elbows together. "Let's just hope Nikki Heat does just as well."

"Nikki Heat?" Myka asked.

"The character she's basing on you!" Martha said, probably thinking she was being helpful. Helena watched as Myka's eyes flashed dangerously.

"Nikki..._Heat_? Can I talk to you for a second?" She asked.

"Of course." Helena said, slipping out of her mother's grasp. This was certainly going to be interesting.

"What the hell kind of name is Nikki Heat?" Myka practically growled once they were out of earshot of Martha and Christina.

"A cop name."

"It's a stripper name."

"Well darling, I told you she was a little slutty." Helena said with a grin.

"Change it now Wells." Myka insisted.

"Now dear think of the titles, Heat Wave, In Heat..." Helena trailed of as Myka moved closer.

"Change it." She ordered. Helena backed up, throughly enjoying herself.

"No." She said simply.

Myka pushed forward. "Change it Wells."

"No."

"Change it."

"No. I have artistic integrity." Helena insisted as she spun around and began walking away from Myka.

The curly haired woman scoffed. "Artistic integrity? Change the name Wells." She yelled as she followed Helena through the bookstore. "Wells! Change it!"

"No."

"Yes!"

"No."

"Wells!"


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm sorry guys, I truly am, I wanted this up earlier but my sister surprised me with a visit home from college and honestly, writing was the last thing on my mind with her and work and such. So I apologize, but here you go. Once I figure out how to work the new writing program on my new laptop, I will start the next chapter. This is sort of the last case-oriented one. I wanted to get them into the grove of working together etc, but its going to start deviating from that more from now on. Enjoy! Please let me know what you think. **

Helena sat across from Myka and watched as she became increasingly upset with the sheriff in front of them. Helena didn't blame her. If not for his disinterest in his case five years prior, they might not be currently investigating a murder right now. Helena stood up and followed Myka to her car as she seethed.

"I _hate_ cops like him." She said after they had pulled out of the Jersey restaurant. "Guys like him, things only make sense if they fit in a box. They make them fit and murderers go free."

Helena paused a moment, then took a shot. "Is that what happened to your father?" She asked.

Myka looked taken aback. She glanced at Helena quickly then returned her eyes to the road. "My dad?" She asked, not willing to give up any information accidentally.

"I noticed your watch." Helena indicated towards it with her head. "It's your father's right? That's why you wear it?"

Myka looked shaken, and like she was about to very fiercely tell Helena to back off; but was saved by her phone ringing. Shifting her focus away from Helena, she answered the call. Helena kept her attention on the woman next to her. One of these days, she was going to figure out Detective Myka Bering. Helena had never met someone so...frustrating before. She was very apt at figuring people out. It was truly one of her better skills but Myka...Myka Bering was closed off. Unwilling to let anyone see anything she didn't allow them. It was driving Helena crazy.

* * *

"Well darling an affair certainly explains a lot." Helena thought out loud the ext day.

They had been going back and forth interviewing people in Sam and Melanie's lives. They had spoken to his best friend, her parents, old coworkers, and Melanie's old boyfriend. He had told them that Sam had been cheating on Melanie, possibly in reciprocation for her spending so much time with an old boyfriend, Helena thought.

Myka shot her a skeptical look. "Either Sam kills his wife alone, or he and his lover kill her." Helena explained.

"Well, then who kills Sam?" Myka asked.

"The lover." Helena answered after a moment's pause. "After Sam backs out after all she's done for him. She couldn't very well have gone to the police after he broke his promise. She would implicate herself."

Myka laughed. "How do you come up with these things Wells?"

"This one they came up with all on their own." Helena insisted.

"Wait, wouldn't his best friend know if he had been having an affair?" Myka asked.

"Yes indeed." Helena said with a grin. They drove back to meet up with Sam's old friend and Myka wasted no time telling him off.

"You lied to us." She accused as they walked over to him for the second time that day. "You never told us Sam had been having an affair."

"It was a long time ago, I didn't want to drag things up. Haven't his kids been through enough? They deserve to have this over with."

"What they deserve is to know what happened to their mother." Myka spat out. Helena watched her eyes flash dangerously. The man sighed and gave up the woman's name.

* * *

Myka did not like the woman sitting across from her. She was aware of how judgmental it was to dislike someone simply on the principal of knowing they cheated on their husband and helped tear a family apart. It was very judgmental. Myka knew nothing else about her, except she might have had motive to kill Melanie. Yet, she disliked her all the same and a part of her hated herself for it.

"Why did you end the affair?" She asked once they had begun to get Elizabeth to talk.

"I realized I was in love with my husband."

HG scoffed. "No one ends an affair because they realized they're still in love. They end it because they are scared. Afraid of getting caught, of taking it to the next level, ruining their life..." HG trailed off. "So, Elizabeth, what was it you were scared of?" She asked.

"Him." Elizabeth answered. Myka turned her attention away from HG and looked at Elizabeth in shock. She hadn't been expecting that one.

"Why?" She asked.

"He started to ask me what I would do if he wasn't with his wife. If she wasn't in the picture anymore."

"And when was that?"

"A few weeks before she disappeared." Elizabeth said. Myka's eyes widened in horror. "When I found out she was missing, I broke things off." Elizabeth insisted, as if it took any fault away from her. Myka bit back a sigh, apparently her initial instincts had been spot on. "He became angry!" Elizabeth continued. "It got so bad that I to transfer to another branch."

Myka was speechless. "You...I'm sorry you had to a..." She pressed her hands together tightly to stop herself from erupting and stood up. Her fingers pressed to her lips she took a calming breath and turned back around to Elizabeth. "Five _years_, Mrs Forte. Five whole years and you never came forward?"

"What's it matter if Sam killed Melanie?" She asked. "He's dead, they're both dead! What's it matter anymore?"

Myka sat back down in her chair and leaned herself as far away from the blonde woman as she could. She had never felt the urge to slap someone so strongly in her life.

They let Elizabeth go. As much as Myka would have loved to lock the woman up, she couldn't. Myka stayed at work long after everyone else had gone home for the night. Studying the white board and coming up with absolutely nothing by around 9pm, she grabbed her coat and left. Surprising herself, she went to find HG's loft, desperately needing to toss ideas off someone. Not surprisingly, her fancy apartment building came with a doorman who showed her to the correct elevator. Myka pressed the buzzer and stood awkwardly in front of the door. As it opened Myka found a laser gun pointed in her face. Attached to the gun was HG Wells, clad in a bright blue laser vest and goggles. "Hi?" Myka said slowly.

HG pushed the goggles up onto her head and looked at Myka, clearly shocked to see her. "Hello." She answered instantly warming up to Myka, but clearly still confused.

A small black haired child – also covered head to toe in laser gear – peaked out from behind HG. "Who is it?" She asked.

"Detective Bering." HG answered her daughter. Before either of them could say another thing, Martha, HG's mother came up on the other side of the author; her face covered in a green facial mask.

"Darling are we entertaining?" She asked, giving Myka a brilliant warm smile.

"Umm..." HG appeared to be momentarily lost for words. Myka sure as hell was.

"Mom! Manners!" Christine chided.

"Of course!" HG flashed Myka a brilliant smile and pulled her into the loft. "Come on in Detective. You remember my mother Martha and my daughter Christina." HG said, pointing to them both. Martha waved and Christina beamed up at her.

"Yes, hello."

The four of them stood awkwardly in silence for a moment. Myka alone in front of them, while the vests Christina and HG were wearing blinked on and off. "Can I get you a drink?" HG offered. Myka was having a hard time adjusting to this HG Wells, but she felt herself nod. Martha ushered Christina upstairs to bed after HG made a fuss about kissing her goodnight and then lead Myka into her study. Seeing a maternal HG in her own home was so incredibly different from the joking, cocky woman she dealt with at work.

As they walked into HG's study, the raven haired woman began stripping off her laser equipment. "Wow, I feel like...Alfred in the bat cave for the first time." Myka said as she looked around.

"Ah! A Batman fan, figures."

Myka turned back to HG. "What?"

"Similar origin stories, loss of a loved one leads to fighting crime." HG explained.

Myka smiled a little. "Yes, well _you _are the multimillionaire crime fighter." She threw back. She noticed a large screen up near the wall with the words 'Nikki Heat' plastered smack dab in the middle.

"That's where I outline my books." HG supplied.

"Looks a lot like our murder boards." Myka noted.

"Yes, except mine is fake." HG said. Myka sighed and began pacing, turning away from HG. "Is something wrong?" HG asked gently.

"I can't find it." Myka admitted painfully.

"Find what darling?"

"The answer."

"It was Sam" HG said. "Everything fits, it's a good ending."

Myka began to pace, unable to sit still or even just stand there. She was aware of HG's eyes on her from her seat but she couldn't be bothered to care. "Yeah but without proof its just a theory. And that family, _those kids_, they need more than just a theory. They need to know. _I _need to know." She admitted. She looked down and locked eyes with HG. She waited while HG sat there thoughtfully a minute before she spoke.

"Well...you have an ending, if you want the rest you need to work backwards. You need to finish the story." She stood up and pursed her lips. "You have your ending, your killer...you just have to put it all together with the facts at hand."

"The facts?"

HG nodded and ran her fingers through her dark locks. "Fact, they had two small children."

"So?" Myka asked in frustration.

HG wasn't phased by it at all. "Based on police statements they didn't have a babysitter. With him at work she would have had to have been with the kids the day she disappeared."

"But Sam said that she left later that night." Myka said dejectedly. She didn't see how this would get them anywhere. She had been over and over it all already.

"Which the doorman was never able to corroborate." HG reminded her.

Myka paused and thought out loud. "So if she was there and she never left then..."

HG finished Myka's sentence for her. "Then she was murdered in the apartment."

"Yeah." Myka said with a breath. Finally, it felt like they might getting somewhere. She just had no idea where that somewhere was.

"Another fact!" HG said beginning to get excited. "He lived in Manhattan."

This time, Myka finished HG's sentence. "And like most people in the city he didn't own a car." She added quickly.

"So what is a good husband to do living in Manhattan with his wife's body? He can't leave it in the apartment, he can't walk out in the lobby with it so the only question is..." HG leaned back against her couch.

"How did he get the body to the storage unit?" Myka finished for her, sitting down next to the author.

"He..." HG trailed off. "Well he could...no..." HG cocked her head to the side in thought.

Myka twirled her hair and bit down hard on her lip. "What if...nah..." She had no ideas whatsoever. She sighed in frustration.

HG turned to her, a new look of determination in her eyes. "Do you know what helps? When I'm trying to figure out how a character would do something, sometimes I will walk the crime scene. This one time I was trying to figure out how to throw someone off the Empire State Building and that movie _Sleepless in Seattle_ had just come out; so many lonely women approached me after that, I got laid so..."

"Wells!" Myka interrupted. She really was not in the mood to hear about HG's impressive sex life.

HG sighed, but gave Myka a little smirk. "The point is, if you want to know exactly what the killer was thinking, go back to where he was and see what problems he had to face." HG looked eagerly at Myka. "Field trip?" She proposed. Myka had to admit, it was their only idea, and it was a pretty good one. She nodded and HG leapt of the couch and grabbed her coat, yelling out to her mother not to use the oven and to keep Christina alive until she returned.

* * *

"They told me he was shot in a mugging, now you're telling me he was shot here! In my apartment?" The current owner asked sleepily. Helena didn't look at him as she was glanced around for anything that could help. She didn't like the look of defeat in Myka's eyes while they were at her loft. The woman needed answers, and Helena was going to find them.

"Not him, his wife." She answered.

"His wife! What kind of family was this?"

Helena ignored him and turned to Myka. "Alright, so you and I are married..." She began to concoct the scenario that had played out five years before. Myka however, interrupted before she could continue.

"We are _not_ married." She said forcefully.

Helena sighed. "Relax darling, it's just pretend."

"I don't wanna pretend." Myka insisted childishly.

Scared you'll like it?" Helena smirked.

Myka glared and advanced on Helena. "Okay, if we're married, I want a divorce."

"Are you two like this all the time?" The owner asked them.

"Yes." They answered simultaneously without taking their eyes off each other. Helena held Myka's angry gaze for a moment then sighed in defeat.

"Alright, we're not married, but _they_ were; say the doorman's right, Melanie gets home about four o'clock." Helena began.

Myka bit her lower lip adorably in concentration. "She'd have to make dinner for the kids." She said. The two of them immediately moved into the kitchen, the current owner following behind.

"Then Sam comes home..."

"Bankers hours." Myka added. "Around 6 o'clock."

"The children have probably already eaten."

"So they're what, umm...watching tv in the bedroom?" Myka proposed.

"In _my_ bedroom!?" The owner yelped.

"Hush darling, we're on a roll." Helena waved at him.

"They have a fight..." Myka continued.

"About the affair." Helena agreed, moving over near Myka.

"About Philadelphia."

"Things get heated..."

"And she turns her head..." Myka said, turning and looking around for a weapon.

"He whacks her with..." Helena glanced around searching for something Sam could have used to murder his wife. At the same time the two of them each held up a pot and a pan. "Fractures her skull and it's over." Helena said. Gently clanging her pan against the pot in Myka's hands.

"Um, except the kids are still in the bedroom." Myka said practically skipping with the excitement to the doorway, forgetting the pot was still in her hands. "He's got to figure out a way to get her out of the apartment without them noticing."

Helena came up behind her and looked around. "Hallway bathroom!" She pointed excitedly. The two of them grinned and ran, the owner following behind in a huff. "So he...places her in the bathtub, shuts the door and tells the children that she went to the store." Helena closed the door on the owners face and turned to Myka expectedly.

"Which according the the case file the doorman was never able to confirm." Myka said, playing with the pot in her hands as she thought. "So...no car, how does he get the body out of the apartment?"

The bathroom door opened and the owner stuck his face in. "Maybe he hailed a cab." He offered. Myka frowned at him.

"Yeah, maybe the cabbie and the doorman helped him stuff the body in the trunk." She said sarcastically. "How much would you tip for that these days?" She asked Helena jokingly.

"The doorman!" Helena yelled.

"HG, I'm joking."

"No, what if the body was already in the freezer when he took it out of the apartment?"

"Freezer?" The owner scoffed. "He'd have needed a truck."

Helena shared a look with Myka and the turned to the owner. "In my building if you have something delivered you have to sign for it."

"Yeah, here too, delivery that big you'd have to sign the ledger."

"The ledger?" Myka asked.

"Doorman's ledger, downstairs."

Myka looked to Helena and almost squeaked with excitement. She quickly shoved the man's pot into his hands and ran past him, Helena following close behind. The only signature from that day was for an older woman named Delores. Myka and Helena went to talk to her and were only able to get that she hadn't ordered the freezer and that by the time she had convinced the doorman of that, the man who had brought the freezer up to her apartment had been gone. Curiously, she told them that she had already told the other cop that, but she didn't remember his name. Myka thanked he for her time and Helena followed her downstairs and out the apartment building.

"I don't get it, if Detective Sloan had that woman's report why wouldn't he just follow up on it?" Helena asked as they walked.

"Cause he wasn't looking for the story, he'd already written it." Myka said with disgust. She clearly did not like the Detective. Helena couldn't really blame her.

* * *

The next day, Helena and Myka interviewed Sam's best friend again, realizing if he needed help moving something, that would be the person he would call. The man admitted it almost instantly, his five years worth of pent up guilt finally bubbling over. Sam had called him, distraught, saying Melanie had come at him and he had just snapped. They arranged for everything, sending the freezer to the old woman, getting it to the storage space, Sam sending his friend the cash and him paying it twice a year. After Sam had died, he didn't want to keep paying the money himself. Helena was surprised Myka had the restraint not to slap the man.

"People knew the truth all along they just chose not to come forward." Myka said shaking her head. Helena was still looking through the case files, something was still didn't set quite right with her. "I'm gonna go tell Melanie's parents what happened, do you want to come?" She asked as she put on her coat.

"The old woman told us she talked to an officer..." Helena said.

"Yeah, Sloan." Myka said with a shrug.

"Yes, only he didn't list her name in his report." Helena said, holding up the papers in her hands.

"He didn't think it was important, he wasn't looking for a murder." Myka said with distain.

"Right, so if you're not investigating a murder why would you talk to the neighbor about a freezer delivery?" Helena asked.

"Dammit, come on, we need to talk to her again." Myka said. The two of them drove back to the building in relative silence and Myka knocked on Delores' door. "I'm sorry to bother you again ma'am, I know it was five years ago that you talked to..."

"I didn't say it was five years ago." Delores interrupted.

"What?" Helena asked.

"It was only about a year ago. I remember thinking why was this cop asking me about a freezer I never ordered."

Myka glanced at Helena curiously. "Do you remember anything about the man that came to see you?" She asked.

"Uh, he was older."

"Was in in uniform?"

"No plain clothes like you, he had gray hair and he walked with a limp."

Helena turned to Myka. "Ben Davidson, Melanie's dad."

* * *

Helena and Myka sat quietly in her car and looked out at the Davidson's home. Myka hadn't said a word since they left Delores' apartment. "You could just leave it like this." Helena offered. "Sam's dead, the Captain's happy, the children look pretty happy."

Myka swallowed. Helena could tell the woman would rather be anywhere else in the world right now. "That's the difference between a novel and the real world Wells. A cop doesn't get to decide how a story ends." Helena watched as she took a deep breath and got out of the car. She walked up to the front door and knocked. Helena remained in the car and stayed quiet as they drove Mr Davidson back to the station to question him. Helena knew he wouldn't admit to it and she was right. He all but told them he killed him, but without a confession, and without the proper evidence, they would never convict him. Hearing his rage and sorrow over his only child caused Helena to call Christina as soon as they walked out of the room. Myka wandered off, probably back to her desk while Helena chatted with her daughter, promising strawberry pancakes the next morning. She headed back to Myka's desk and sat down next to her with a sigh.

"Christina missed me." She said. Myka nodded, but was clearly aware that it was the other way around.

"By the way, it was my mother, not my father." She said softly. Shocked, Helena leaned forward and listened. "We were supposed to go to dinner, my mom, my dad and I. She was gonna meet us at the restaurant but...she never showed. Two hours later we went home and there was a detective waiting for us." Myka hesitated, trying to think up the name. "Detective...Raglan. They found her body, she had been stabbed."

"A robbery?" Helena asked gently.

"Nope." Myka said, tears welling up a bit in her eyes. "She still had her money and purse and jewelry. And it wasn't a sexual assault either, they attributed it to gang violence...a random event." Myka looked up at Helena for the first time since she began speaking. "So just like in Melanie's case, they couldn't think outside the box so they just tried to package it up nicely. And the killer was never caught." Myka's voice broke a little and Helena wanted to reach over and hug her. She knew it wouldn't bode well if she tried, so she sat on her hands.

"Why do you wear the watch?" She asked.

"My dad took her death hard, he's...mostly sober now. It was five years, now it's one." She held up her watch. "So this is for the life that I saved..." she pulled a necklace out of her shirt with a ring on it and held it out. "And this is for the life that I lost." She twirled the ring in her fingers a moment, more tears in her eyes, then dropped it and tried to smile, but failed. "So, I guess your Nikki Heat has a backstory now Wells."

"Oh, I don't know...I did sort of enjoy the hooker by day, cop by night thing..." Helena said lightly. Just as she had hoped, a real smile slipped out onto Myka's features and she laughed a little through her tears. "But I suppose the heavy, emotional angle could work too."

Myka stood up and immediately stepped back away from Helena. "Well, don't bewilder your audiences with substance on my account Wells." She joked as she pulled on her coat. Helena knew she wasn't going to say much else tonight.

"Until tomorrow detective?" Helena said with a nod of her head.

"You can't just say night?"

Helena shrugged and remained in her seat. "I'm a writer, night is boring. Until tomorrow is more...hopeful."

Myka smiled into her hands. "Yeah well, I'm a cop, so...night." She looked back down at Helena and then walked off.

Helena sat there a few minutes quietly, then looked over and noticed Pete and Claudia gathering their things for the night. She stood up determinedly, walked over to Pete and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Might I ask a favor?" She whispered.

Pete led her down the corridor of the cold case files begrudgingly. With a sigh he pulled out a box and held out a file to Helena. As she was about to take it, he pulled it back. "She would kill me if she knew about this." He stated.

"I have no intentions whatsoever of telling her." Helena reminded him and reached out for the file.

Pete frowned and started to pass it over again. Again as she was about to take it, he pulled it back. Helena couldn't help but groan in frustration.

"She is my best friend HG. You better not make me regret this."

Helena nodded. "I assure you Mr Lattimer, I have no intentions of hurting her. I simply want to help." She said truthfully. Pete studied her. What he was looking for exactly, Helena wasn't sure. A reason to trust her she supposed. Whatever it was, he seemed to find it because he handed the file over, gave her a tight tap on the shoulder and walked away without a word.


	7. Chapter 7

**Thank you guys for the comments! And now we are beginning to deviate from cases a bit. They will still be in there, but much less. Hope you enjoy, let me know what you think. **

Myka walked down the street ignoring the man jumping around like a child behind her. HG had been ordered by her ex-wife (and editor) to stay in her house at the Hamptons until she finished her first Nikki Heat novel. She had left the morning before and Myka had been surprised to find that the precinct felt a little empty without her. The fact bothered her. Myka prided herself on her abilities to work on her own; a little over a month with the cocky author and Myka felt lost? No thank you. She had offered to buy Pete lunch, missing spending time alone with her best friend.

"Myka! Myka look at this!" Pete yelled, holding up a hot dog dripping with toppings. Myka grimaced.

"I thought I was buying you lunch?" She asked.

"This is just pre lunch." Pete mumbled as he came up to her. She made a face as he stuffed half of the hot dog into his mouth in a single bite.

"You're disgusting you know that right?"

"Yet you love me."

Myka sighed and bumped her shoulder with his. "Come on, it's cold I want to get inside." As they walked up to the restaurant, Pete hurriedly shoveled the rest of his hot dog into his mouth and opened the door for Myka. They headed over to their favorite booth in the back corner and ordered their usuals. Back when they had been rookies, the two of them had spent many nights in this booth going over cases and talking about anything other than Sam or Myka's mother, Joanna. They hadn't done it in a while what with Pete's girlfriend, Kelly and their extra casework now that they were detectives. "So, how's Kelly?" Myka asked as she sipped her coffee.

"Good. I really like her Myks." Pete smiled and grabbed the crayons on the table. He began coloring on the paper mat and Myka rolled her eyes. "What about you?" He asked without looking up.

"What about me what?"

"You and HG."

Myka's eyes widened. "Me and HG what Pete?"

Pete looked up confused, holding his crayon in mid air. "Well...you guys are all...ya know making sexy eyes at each other all the time."

"What! No we're not." Myka insisted.

"Whatever you say Myks, but if a woman looked at me the way I've seen HG lookin' at you..." Pete whistled. "My clothes wouldn't stay on very long ya know?"

"You are a pig Pete." Myka threw her balled up straw at his forehead. "And seriously? First of all, I'm not gay. And second of all, even if I was, I can assure you I would _never_ be interested in HG Wells."

"What, why not?"

The waitress arrived with their food. Pete dug into his burger and helped himself to part of Myka's chicken sandwich. "Why not? Pete, she is...she is incredibly full of herself, cocky to the point of endangering herself and others, and she bounces back from one person to the next. I mean the number of times I've seen her on page six with a different man or woman..."

"So you check up on who she's dating?" Pete asked with a smirk.

Myka glared at him and reached over angrily swiping ketchup off his face. "No Pete." She said calmly. "I do not _check up_ on her. I read the newspaper like an intelligent human being and she her in it."

"Hey! I read the paper." Pete insisted.

"It only counts if you read more than one section. You can't just read the sports page."

"Sometimes I read the horoscopes."

"Horoscopes? Really?" Myka raised her eyebrows.

Pete sat up straighter. "Yes Myka, the horoscopes." He stuck his tongue out at her.

"How can you seriously think I'm interested in HG?" Myka asked after a few moments of silence.

Pete sighed. "I dunno Myks maybe I've never seen you work so well with anyone before..."

Myka interrupted him before he could go on. "That's not true Pete, you and I work together better than any partners I know."

Pete shook his head. "Nah...I mean yeah, but it's different with you guys. I don't really know how to explain it but it is trust me." Myka shifted uncomfortably and took another bite of her sandwich. She didn't like the idea of Pete not being her best partner. If she was honest, she had gotten used to working alone once she made detective. She didn't want a partner unless it was Pete; but Captain Neilsen had given Pete the responsibility of partnering with Claudia when she came new to the team and Myka had been alone. Pete knew without her ever mentioning it that she was a little jealous of Claudia initially. She hadn't liked him having a partner that wasn't her but the three of them eventually became this weird little trio and Myka got used to it. The fact remained they were now partners and Myka was on the outside. She would be lying if she hadn't enjoyed having a partner again. Especially on their last case, having HG to bounce ideas off of had really helped. Myka would never admit that to HG.

"Well try." Myka said.

"It's like...well, she's crazy smart, and you're all crazy smart with the whole pre-law, pre-med turned cop thing; so listening to the both of you gets a little tiring and sometimes I tune it out."

Myka kicked his shin under the table.

"Ouch! Do you want me to explain or not?" Pete asked. Myka kicked him in the other leg. "Alright!" Pete yelled. "You gonna finish that?" Myka shoved the other half of her sandwich over to him and leaned back into the booth. "Okay, so like she comes up with these insane ideas, and you kinda fix them 'till they make sense."

"That's it?" Myka scoffed. "Pete, _you _come up with insane ideas and I always had to fix them."

"Well yeah, but like I said it's different with you guys. You have this...weird energy that you and I never had. I mean sure, you're a woman and when I first met you, I thought about what it would be like to sleep with you..."

Myka kicked him again.

"Ouch." He growled forcefully. "Myka I do that with every woman I ever meet. Chill." Myka shook her head and waved for him to continue. "Anyway, I knew almost right away that I was never gonna want to sleep with you and we would be friends."

"Why?" Myka asked, annoyed that she felt insulted somehow.

"Myks, it's a compliment. I like you too much to sleep with you. Do you really not think about dating people you meet?"

"Well...sure I guess, but I don't think about how sex would be with every man I come across."

"Well I do." Pete said as he shoved the last bite of food into his mouth. "Not men, women." He clarified with his mouth full.

Myka stood up and pulled her jacket on. "Same here Pete. Not women, men."

"I don't believe you."

"Why? Can you imagine dating a man?"

Pete did not immediately scream no like Myka had figured. Instead, he cocked his head to the side and seemed to honestly consider it. "Probably not, I like the ladies I don't think I would know what to do with a guy."

"There you see..."

"I'm not done!" Pete yelled.

Myka sighed as they walked down the street together. It was crisp and cold, fall had most certainly arrived. Myka almost smiled despite the odd conversation she was having with Pete. Fall had been her mother's favorite time of year.

"As I was saying...I'm pretty sure I'm totally into the ladies, but I figure people are just kinda like shells right? Our bodies aren't us, if I met some dude I had a weird sexy eye connection with, it would freak me out, but I could maybe get down with it."

"Pete, what the hell are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about you and HG and how maybe you are straight but she is your exception."

"What the fuck does that even mean? And no."

Pete frowned. "I'm just trying to help you don't have to get mean. What I mean Myks is you are different with her. You've been alone and sad for a really long time and as your best friend, I hate it. I haven't seen you smile or laugh or get so excited while solving a case in a long ass time. The only thing that's been different in the last month or so is HG coming to work. Plus, you have totally been a fangirl of hers for years, so don't even about not idolizing her. Unless, you starting dating someone and didn't tell me, in which case, I will complain like a five year old."

"I'm not dating anyone Pete."

"Which only proves my point about HG!" Pete threw his arms up in the air angrily. Myka grabbed him by the shoulder and forced him to face her.

"Pete." She began calmly. "I am not interested in HG in any capacity. I liked her _books,_ not her. I didn't even want her shadowing me. I'm making the best out of an annoying situation, nothing more."

"What about all the eye sex?"

"What the hell is eye sex?"

"God Myka don't you ever watch tv? It's when two people are looking at each other in a way that they might as well just rip their clothes off and be having sex."

"That's stupid." Myka stated and walked away from Pete. "I definitely do not do that."

"HG sure as hell does." Pete said with a snort.

"Pete! That is half my point. Wether HG is a woman isn't actually the biggest problem. She is a complete player, jumping from one bed to the next. I don't want to be her latest challenge."

"Fine, don't marry her, but have a little fun Myks."

"God, you sound like Leena."

"Well, Leena's right, maybe you should listen to her."

"No. Pete seriously drop it okay?"

Pete sighed in defeat. "Fine Myks, it's dropped but for the record I approve. The two of you together would be so freaking hot I would..."

Myka elbowed him in the stomach before he could finish his sentence.

* * *

Helena stared at the blank page open on her laptop. She had been staring at it for over twenty minutes. In frustration she yelled out and pushed her chair back to stand up. Despite the fact that her house in the Hamptons was huge and beautiful and right on the beach, she felt closed in and claustrophobic. Helena poured come coffee into a travel mug and walked outside. It was late in the afternoon and there weren't many people who took vacations in early October; so the beach was relatively empty. Writing in the Hamptons usually helped Helena. There were less distractions. Often she would go there when she was getting close to being done with a novel, as she was now, but it didn't appear to be working this time. Helena couldn't for the life of her figure out why. It was infuriating. Not to mention Gina was ready to fly down and murder her in her sleep.

Helena sighed deeply and walked down to the water. She hadn't bothered with shoes and she stepped into the cool ocean. Shivering slightly, Helena pulled her sweater a little closer around her torso as she walked down the beach. She had all of the elements of _Heat Wave _and most of it written, she just couldn't seem to put together the ending. She didn't know why it was bothering her so much; her endings were usually not that difficult. She intended for the Nikki Heat books to be a series, she had no real reason to stress about the ending of the first novel. Her only problem was making sure the readers wanted to come back for more.

Her case was good. It had twists and turns people wouldn't be able to predict too easily but just enough clues spread about that they would have that moment of clarity as they realized how everything came together. Her problems weren't with her fictional murder, they were with her fictional leading lady. Helena was having more difficulty writing Nikki Heat than any character she had ever created. Perhaps it was the fact that she was based on a real woman. A woman Helena was having a bloody difficult time figuring out.

Myka Bering was nothing like anyone Helena had ever met before. Sure, she had met closed off people, work oriented ones, strong women, smart women, damaged women, protective, brave, goofy, but Myka...Myka was all of those and more. Helena was dying to figure her out, but she had a feeling that no matter how hard she tried; Myka Bering was a mystery that she was never going to solve.

Helena's cell phone rang and she groaned as Gina's name popped up. She had only carried it along out of habit. Christina usually called her before she went to bed. Helena knew if she continued to ignore Gina, the redhead would drive down and bother her in person. "Hello darling." Helena said releasing a calming breath.

"Don't 'darling' me Helena." Gina said. "It's October 9th. If you do recall your new book was supposed to be given to me on October 5th. If my math is correct, you've been dodging my phone calls for four days."

"Your math is correct. Congratulations."

"Helena!"

"Gina, I don't know what you want me to say, I'm almost done. You can't rush genius darling."

"Helena, you lost the ability to call me 'darling' when we got divorced. And I can rush genius; I can come down there and duct tape you to a chair. I've done it before."

"Hmm...that was an entirely different situation with a much better incentive to write quickly." Helena reminded her.

"Don't change the subject." Gina warned. Helena kicked at the cold water as she walked, not caring that her pants were getting wet. The cold was becoming just a bit much however and she walked back up to the sand. Her empty coffee mug dangling in her other hand as she walked up the beach. Gina was quiet for almost a full minute. Probably a new record. "How far behind are you exactly?" Gina asked.

"Give me two days..."

"No." Gina vetoed immediately. "You are already four behind."

Helena sighed. "Fine, give me until tomorrow, I'll have everything worked out."

"Tomorrow morning?"

"If I said yes I would be lying." Helena said with a smile.

"Helena!" Gina groaned.

"If I'm no longer allowed to call you darling – which by the way I resent, I call everyone darling – then you are no longer allowed to say my name in that way."

"You don't call everyone darling." Gina insisted. "You pretend you do, but really it's only some people. Unless it's someone you detest and you're trying to sound polite."

"Hmm, and which category do you fit under?"

"I'm well aware that it's the latter Helena there was a reason we got divorced."

Helena bit her lip and sighed. "Gina, please tell me you don't actually think I hate you."

"Hate is perhaps a bit strong, but it's not far off."

Helena pushed open her door and dropped her empty cup in the sink. Her stomach was growling and Helena was sure that there was no food she wanted to eat. She tuned Gina out slightly as she dug through the cupboards and the refrigerator. An apple that looked like it was from last summer, blueberry yogurt, pretzels and frozen chicken fingers. Helena turned on the oven and opted to dine as her eleven year old would; snacking on the pretzels while she waited for the chicken fingers to cook. Gina finished her rant and Helena quickly snapped back to attention. "I will email it to you tomorrow afternoon Gina, I promise. There are just a few things I need to tweak, I'm basically done. Also, hate is very far off, we may not have had the best – or longest – marriage but I in no way hate you."

"Um hum, get me that book and I'll believe it. You do know that if I can't get my work done on time, I get fired right? Because if you get me fired, I will most certainly expect you to start paying my bills."

"Well, we don't want that."

"Helena!"

"Yes darling?" Helena asked with her mouth full of pretzels. Gina only sighed again and said goodbye. Helena hung up and went to sit back down in front of her laptop. The blank page stared back at her. She groaned and moved over to the couch, turning the television on and flicking through the channels instead.

Ten minutes later, her chicken fingers were done and she called Christina to talk while she ate. Apparently, her daughter won an award for a paper she had written. Helena listened with pride as Christina excitedly went over every little detail. Once she had said goodnight, washed and put away her dishes, watched the news, and even resorted to folding some laundry, Helena couldn't ignore her laptop anymore.

She sat back down at the kitchen table and began to type not stopping until the sun was up. Tiredly, she sent the manuscript off to Gina – hours before the redhead would be expecting it – Helena would get to gloat over that for a while; and she flopped down exhausted into her bed.


	8. Chapter 8

Helena opened her front door slowly, not wanting to wake up her mother or daughter. The front room was dark. She set her bag down and tip toed into the kitchen. She had woken up in the Hamptons around 4pm and decided to drive home. She knew that she wouldn't get home until late, but the silence of her loft was disarming.

Upstairs, Helena found her mother asleep in her room, half falling out of her bed. Helena sighed and gently pushed her mother into the middle of the bed, removed her reading glasses, tucked her in and shut off the light.

Her daughter of course had tucked herself in. Helena smiled and tip toed inside, placing a light kiss on Christina's forehead before going back down to her study. She wasn't tired yet. She would probably regret sleeping all day, but she was still geared up from the drive. Surprising herself, Helena sat down at her laptop and began writing again. Despite struggling to finish _Heat Wave_, once she had gotten into it, the ideas hadn't stopped. She had practically outlined the entire second novel in her head as she drove home. Helena knew to write when the mood struck, knowing there would be a time when nothing would come to her later.

Her mobile buzzed and Helena glanced at the text message from Gina.

**Thanks. Four days late. **

Helena sighed and simply typed out, "you're welcome" back before continuing writing.

* * *

"Mom?"

Helena's first thought was, what was that searing pain in her neck?

"Mom?...MOM...Mother, wake UP!"

"What?" Helena jerked up right and immediately regretted it. "Bloody hell!" She screamed, grabbing her neck.

"Mom, it's 7:45." Christina said.

"Wonderful darling, I can't seem to move my head."

"Mom! I have to be at school in fifteen minutes!"

Helena turned her head awkwardly and looked at her daughter. She was dressed in her school uniform, her backpack slung over one shoulder, hair pulled back into two plaits. "Have you eaten breakfast?" Helena asked as she tried to twist her neck, horrible idea, she stopped immediately.

"Yes I had cereal."

"Wonderful, have your grandmother take you today. Mummy can't seem to move this morning." Helena tried to turn her head the other way, if possible that hurt even more. When was she going to learn not to fall asleep writing?

"Grandma left twenty minutes ago." Christina said impatiently. Helena froze and twisted her torso around so she could see Christina properly.

"What?"

"She had something to go to, I stopped listening, Mom, I'm going to be late! I have a perfect attendance record, hurry up!"

"Darling, you need better priorities. We can play hookey today!"

Christina glared at her.

"Or not." Helena sighed. "Just let me jump in the shower, perhaps the hot water will fix my neck."

"Mom!"

"I'll be down in ten minutes, twelve at the most, watch tv."

"It takes more than three minutes to get to school! I'll still be late."

Helena walked around the desk, her body bent in awkward positions and placed her hands on Christina's shoulders. "Darling, I love you and I love that you are such a studious, mature young woman, but you simply must relax and realize sometimes, you will be late." Helena kissed her on the cheek and moved as quickly as she could upstairs. The hot water didn't do as much as she would have hoped to make her neck feel better, but at least she could stand up all the way now. Helena pulled on some new clothes, tugged her wet hair back into a low bun and ran downstairs where Christina was waiting impatiently by the front door with a piece of toast and a mug of coffee to go for Helena.

"You are truly a beautiful child." She said taking them both and kissing Christina on the cheek.

"I might become a murderous one if you don't hurry."

"Oh, wonderful, you'd make a very creative murderess. Be sure to let me help solve the case darling." Helena said with a grin. Christina only glared as they rode the elevator down and bolted to Helena's car. Helena was a little worried that her daughter was this distraught over being a couple minutes late. She was bouncing up and down in the backseat the entire drive to her school. Helena barely had time to pull the car to a complete stop before Christina jumped out and ran into the school. "Have a good day love!" Helena yelled out the window. She sighed and took a very large sip of her coffee before trying to turn her neck all the way again. Still sore. Helena's mobile rang and she smiled at the name that popped up on its screen. "Hello darling, tell me there's been a murder. I'm dreadfully bored."

* * *

Myka rolled her eyes as she hung up with HG. "She's on her way, she'll meet us at the crime scene." Myka informed Pete. Her best friend only grinned and made an obscene gesture as he followed Claudia outside.

HG had only been gone for almost a week and Myka was thoroughly confused at her reaction to the raven haired woman's absence. It wasn't missing her, Myka was sure of that, rather, she had simply gotten used to having the annoying author around and was bewildered at the pleasant silence. At least that's what Myka was going with for now. It was much less terrifying than Pete's theory.

Now that Pete had said that he thought she liked HG, Myka was having trouble not thinking about it. The entire time Leena went over the details of the young woman's murder; Myka was highly aware of HG's every movement. The shorter woman was standing oddly, bouncing up and down on her toes and turing her head back and forth from time to time. As they walked away from the crime scene Myka caved. "Okay, what is wrong with your neck?" She asked as HG winced for the forth time in the last few minutes.

HG sighed and tried to turn her head toward Myka, gave up and turned her entire body instead. "I fell asleep writing last night. A laptop does not a good pillow make."

Myka nodded. "No, I wouldn't imagine so." HG turned her entire body forward again as they resumed walking down the street to Myka's car. "So, did the Hamptons help you finish your novel?" She asked as they reached the car.

"It did indeed. That and threats from Gina, last night was a bout of inspiration for the second novel."

"More?" Myka asked. "How many are we talking here?"

"I'm not sure yet Detective, why, getting sick of me already?" HG smiled. It faltered quickly as she tried to maneuver herself into the passenger seat. Myka couldn't help but let out a laugh.

"A lady shouldn't laugh at another's expense." HG chided as she finally managed to get into the car.

"Well, I wasn't raised to be a proper british lady." Myka answered as she pulled the car out of the driveway. "Did you eat yet? I'm starving."

"I only had toast, I could eat again; and if you remember correctly – which I know you do – I wasn't raised to be a proper british lady either. I was raised by an american actress."

"It's a marvel you have the little manners you posses then."

HG laughed, then winced at the movement. "That was rude." She pouted. She continued to pout all the way to the diner and kept it up as they ordered breakfast. Pete and Claudia were running the police databases for a match to their Jane Doe and until Leena finished her autopsy, there wasn't much Myka and HG could do. Myka was indeed starving, she ordered a large stack of chocolate chip pancakes, some bacon and some coffee. HG grinned as they handed their menus to the waitress. "I've never been to this establishment before it's...charming. What do you call them? Mom and Pop shops? Retro fifties diner?"

Myka bit her bottom lip to keep from smiling. "Yeah, it's been run by a couple since it opened in the fifties. I don't think they ever bothered redecorating. My parents and I used to come here for breakfast on sundays when I was a kid."

"Really?" HG asked, seeming interested.

"Yeah. I haven't been here in a while. My...my dad and I started coming back here a couple of years ago. He'd pick me up after AA, but we haven't done it in a long time."

Myka staunchly kept her gaze away from HG's, choosing to play with her straw instead. HG was silent for a few minutes and Myka didn't dare look up at the woman. She wasn't quite sure why, opening up about herself was never something Myka enjoyed, but something about HG made it feel...Myka didn't have a word for it.

"Why haven't you two eaten here in a while?" HG finally asked.

Myka sighed, pulling her straw apart into tiny pieces. "He fell off the wagon for a while, we sort of stopped talking much."

"Why?" HG prodded.

Myka swept the pieces of paper out of the way and into a little pile on the edge of the table before looking up. "Because I told him I didn't want to talk to him again until he got sober."

HG stared at Myka for almost a full minute. It felt like a dare and Myka refused to look away despite an overwhelming urge to do so. "And now?" HG finally asked softly.

"Hum?"

"Is he sober now?"

"Yes. Almost a full year."

"You say that warily." HG noted.

"I do."

The waitress came back with their food, and Myka took advantage of the pause in conversation. Thankfully, HG seemed to for once, take the hint and not prod. They ate in comfortable silence for a few minutes, then began discussing the case. Once they had finished eating, they paid the bill and headed back to Myka's car.

"Thank you." HG said as they pulled out of the parking lot.

"For what?"

"For telling me about your father and taking me to the diner, it was a wonderful breakfast."

"You're welcome." Myka smiled. She was grateful HG wasn't pushing for anymore information, frankly, it surprised her a little. It shouldn't, underneath her bravado, HG was actually a decent human being. An annoying one, but a decent one.

HG was finding it difficult to get comfortable and Myka was trying very hard not to laugh at her. If HG could be decent and not pump her for information, Myka could not laugh at her awkwardness. They headed back to the station and spoke to Leena, getting the identification of their Jane Doe from her dental records. They spent the rest of the afternoon hold up in the station with Pete and Claudia gathering as much information on her as they could. Myka was astonished when they brought in her boyfriend and he confessed in only a matter of minutes. It was the fastest solve she had ever had. HG was disappointed.

"That was far too easy, we didn't even get to interrogate him properly! I wanted to be the bad cop this time!"

"Wells, you're not a cop at all." Myka reminded her.

"Completely irrelevant." HG snipped and flipped her hair over her shoulder. She instantly regretted it and winced at the motion to her neck.

"You might want to ice that, or put a hot cloth on it, I never remember which. Try both. Or no...hot I think." Stumbling over her words was not something Myka was used to and it pissed her off. The only thing that bothered her more was the grin slipping onto HG's face as she did so. "Night Wells, hope you feel better." She said quickly as she stood up, grabbed her coat and all but ran away; ignoring the grin she knew was widening on HG's face.

"Until tomorrow darling!" HG called after her. Myka rolled her eyes and jumped into the elevator.


	9. Chapter 9

**I'm sorry for the long gap between chapters everyone. Honestly, I just didn't feel like writing. My dog died rather unexpectedly and there's been some other personal crap and I simply didn't want to. Sorry to leave you hanging like that, updates will be more frequent again. This one isn't very long, but I've got the next one partially outlined and hopefully I'll have it up near the end of the week. Everyone have a happy Halloween! Hope you enjoy:) Let me know what you think!**

Myka raised her eyebrows and stifled a smile at Claudia. The younger detective was sitting across from Myka's desk with full on zombie face makeup, and ripped clothes to boot. Captain Neilsen was currently standing over her, yelling about unprofessionalism. This went on every year. Claudia always nodded and promised not to dress up the coming year, then proceeded to do so anyway. The only time it had actually intimidated Claudia had been when she first came to the 12th as a rookie. Captain, had yelled, she cowered, then Pete and Myka explained that yelling was simply how Captain Neilsen communicated. Claudia had put her cat costume back on and grinned through the second lecture. Now, she barely batted an eye when he stamped out of his office and started his rants.

Claudia wasn't the only one that dressed up, but she was the one person in the precinct who went full out. Pete always wore something, usually relatively minimal and to do with superheroes, and Leena almost always painted on some cat whiskers and popped on a headband with ears; many of the other detectives did so as well. Myka, remained one of the only detectives who refused to wear anything. She had wasn't a fan of Halloween. She had loved it as a kid, her mother would take her trick or treating early and let her stay out as long as they wanted. Joanna would go all out with costumes, she had always been fantastic at creating them out of almost nothing. When they got home, she and her father would watch old horror movies as they went through her candy. Once Myka got old enough to go out with her friends, she still had her mother help her with costumes. Myka grew to hate the holiday after Joanna's death. She never wanted to dress up, her father would just leave a bowl out on the porch and hole himself up inside watching movies by himself. Myka tended to offer herself up for shifts or do the same.

"Man, that guy needs a girlfriend." Claudia joked as Captain Neilsen finally stalked back to his office. Myka smiled and flicked a rubber band at her.

"That is quite an impressive costume Claud."

"Why thank you Myka, would you like me to help you with yours?"

"I'm good thanks."

"You say that every year."

"Yes I do."

"Ugh, Myka, can I pleeeease take you to a party with me tonight? I'll dress you up as a slutty cat or nurse or something and we'll get you laid."

"Oh sounds delightful!" HG exclaimed as she sauntered up to Myka's desk. Myka refrained herself from groaning.

"HG, do you like Halloween?" Claudia asked.

"Of course! Christina and I are heading out to trick or treat after dinner. This year she is going as Peter Pan and I will be Wendy." HG leaned over Claudia and swiped at her zombie makeup. "This is appalling darling, bravo."

Claudia beamed.

Pete came running up to them decked out with a red cape flowing behind him and Myka couldn't help resisting the urge to reach up and yank on it. Pete squealed and jerked back, practically falling onto Myka's lap. The curly haired woman cracked up laughing. "Rude Myks, that was rude! You can't yank Superman!"

"That's who you are?" Myka asked, raising her eyebrows. Pete made a face, as if Myka should be perfectly aware of who he was by one stupid cape. He shifted himself off of her and lifted up his button down shirt, revealing a Superman logo on an old t-shirt. "Well, sorry. I couldn't exactly have seen that now could I?"

HG laughed and perched herself up on top of Myka's desk, casually playing with one of Myka's little elephants. She resisted the urge to snatch it back, instead, sitting on her hands. "What are you planning on being Myka?" HG asked casually.

"Myka doesn't do Halloween." Claudia answered for her.

Myka glared at the young redhead and stood up, heading down to talk to Leena about her last case. She hoped HG would hang back and continue her Halloween talk with Claudia and Pete, but no such luck. "How does one 'not do Halloween'?" HG asked, putting air quotes around her words. "Dressing up, candy, ghost stories, macabre, it's the greatest holiday there is!"

Myka scoffed. "Really, the greatest holiday?"

"Well...perhaps tied with Christmas, but it is a fantastic holiday."

"I don't eat sugar, so I don't care about candy, I don't like scary movies, and I don't like dressing up so why would I like Halloween?"

"Oh, now I don't believe that at all."

"Why would I lie?"

HG studied her and Myka picked at the edge of her jacket nervously under her gaze. "I haven't decided yet."

Myka ignored her and walked in to talk to Leena. She had been hoping for a murder, that way she wouldn't have to go home alone. She'd probably call her father, make sure he didn't go off the wagon, either watch whatever scary movie was on tv, or avoid it all and crash early. She was keeping her fingers crossed for a murder. Idiots did ridiculous things on Halloween, it wasn't exactly a long shot.

Myka instantly felt horrible about wishing for a murder and kicked the examination table in frustration. Both HG and Leena noticed. Myka shrugged. "Saw a bug." She said. From the looks on their faces, it didn't look like either women believed her. She only shrugged again.

Leena practically shooed the women out so she could finish her work and get to a Halloween party on time. Myka grumbled like a petulant teenager. As the night wore on, everyone became more restless to get out and enjoy themselves. Claudia bolted for her party the second the clock hit six and Pete hung around to try – like he did every year – to get Myka to come hang out with him. Per usual, she told him to enjoy himself and go have fun. HG had watched them interacting curiously but bid everyone a good night before six and headed home to make dinner for her daughter before heading out for the night. Myka stayed at the precinct until 7:30 and then Captain Neilsen ordered her to go home.

Begrudgingly, Myka packed up her things, hailed a cab and called her father on the way. He didn't sound inebriated, Myka had gotten pretty good at detecting even the slightest hint of a slur in his voice. He was watching the silent version of _The Phantom of the Opera_. He and Myka spoke only a few minutes, but it was enough to convince Myka that he seemed okay. She said goodnight and dug around her kitchen looking for something to eat. It would take forever to order takeout tonight, Myka didn't feel like cooking and she really didn't have much in her apartment anyway. Thankfully, there was bread, peanut butter, and jelly; Myka made herself a sandwich and plopped in front of the tv. She flicked through the channels until she found the movie her father had been watching. As she ate, she shucked out of her work clothes and pulled on some sweatpants and an old t-shirt. Laying back onto the couch, she sighed tiredly.

After about twenty minutes of the movie, Myka heard a knock on her door. Her apartment building only had a few kids, Myka had brought home a bag of mixed candy the night before to be prepared. She jumped up and dumped the mini twix, milky way, snickers and various others into a large bowl and opened the door.

"Trick or treat!" HG and Christina said simultaneously. Myka couldn't have been more shocked at the sight in front of her if she tried. Christina looked absolutely adorable decked out in her Peter Pan costume. HG had really gone all out, it looked almost exactly like the costume worn in the musical. Myka looked down, some of the leaves even looked like they were real. HG in turn, also looked wonderful; some grown women would look ridiculous trying to dress up like a twelve year old girl, but of course not Helena G Wells.

"Hi." Myka said softly. Christina eagerly held out a large pillowcase and Myka dumped half of the bowl into it.

"Good lord Myka, save some for the other children." HG scolded.

"There are only three kids in this building, I don't think they ever actually go around to apartments here. I usually just get it in case." Myka explained.

"Well, good thing we showed up then!" HG smiled.

"Umm, yeah. How's it been so far? Have you gotten a lot of candy?" Myka asked Christina awkwardly. Luckily, the little girl was polite and sweet; she grinned and stuck out her bag for Myka to see.

"We're almost done. My bag's practically full already." She stated proudly.

"When did you guys start?"

"Right after I left work. Got home, got into costumes while we ate and headed out. We take our trick or treating seriously in this family." HG ruffled the hair falling out of Christina's cap.

"Well, I'm glad you had a good evening." Myka smiled.

"We're not quite done, would you like to join us?" HG asked.

Myka was about to refuse when Christina jumped up and down excitedly. "If you be Tinkerbell we'll be almost the whole story! Gram is Captain Hook, but she's at a party."

"That's a nice offer but really I don't..."

"Can't be torn away from your couch and the Phantom?" HG smirked as she nodded towards the television.

"I don't want to impose, plus, I really don't have a costume." Myka desperately wished HG would just let her be, but the look of determination on the author's face wasn't promising.

"I'm sure we could whip something up."

"No, really, I'm pretty beat. Thanks for the offer though I hope you guys have a great night." Myka felt a little shitty as she watched HG's grin falter. Christina looked upset, but bounced back with a shrug and a wave as she pulled her mother along.

"Thanks for the candy Detective Bering!" She yelled happily.

"Have a good night." Myka repeated to HG.

HG sighed and nodded, holding herself in place as Christina tried to pull her down the hall. "Have sweet dreams detective."

Myka nodded and closed the door once Christina successfully managed to yank HG from her hallway. She groaned and banged her head against the door behind her. She probably couldn't have looked more pathetic if she had tried. Myka clicked her tv off, shut out the lights and climbed into bed before 8:30 for the first time in years.


	10. Chapter 10

Myka hadn't slept well at all. Despite going to bed early, she was restless all night and got up sometime around 6am. Captain had given them the day off – leaving her on call in case there was a murder – and Myka had no idea what to do with herself. She considered briefly calling Pete to see if he wanted to do anything, but knew that he probably wouldn't be up for hours.

Myka got up and cleaned her entire apartment, did almost a week's worth of laundry, scrubbed down her entire bathroom, and re-organized her book collection before eight. She had thrown half of the contents in her refrigerator out, so with nothing else to do, she grabbed her keys, and went to the grocery store.

She had been hoping it would take longer to purchase enough food to satisfy even Pete's needs, but alas, it didn't. She was home well before ten and bored out of her mind. Taking a chance, she dialed Pete's number while emptying her grocery bags. It rang over and over until finally a gruff, groggy voice picked up.

"Humph...Lattimer?"

"It's me. You up yet?"

"Myka? What time is it?"

Myka shoved milk into the fridge and shot a glance at her microwave clock. "9:38."

"Is someone dead?"

"No. I just thought maybe..."

"Myks, it is the day after Halloween, I didn't even get home until three something, and we have the day off. Now, unless someone kicks it I am gonna sleep for at least two, probably more like four more hours."

Myka sighed. "Sorry Pete."

"No...it's..." Myka could hear him sitting up and his voice softened. "Myks, it's fine. Are you...I mean, I can come over."

"No, Pete I'm totally fine, just bored. Get some sleep, I'll find something to entertain myself."

"All right, I'll call you when I wake up."

"Sure." Myka hung up and plopped down on her couch. Flicking through the channels and finding nothing to capture her interests, she called her father to check in. He seemed fine, but was about to go fishing with one of his friends, so Myka let him go. She knew not to even bother with Claudia, the girl loved Halloween and tended to stay out all night and sleep most of the day away after. Leena had had a date to her party last night, so there was a good chance she would not be up or interested in hanging out with Myka.

Bored, Myka pulled on her jacket and decided to take a walk. Annoyingly, she ended up at HG's apartment building. Myka felt bad about saying no to going trick or treating with her and Christina, but it felt like she and HG weren't close enough to do something like that. Perhaps it had been because of Christina, Myka hadn't wanted to impose on mother/daughter time, and she didn't know the little girl well enough, or HG for that matter, to just jump in on a family outing. At least, that was what Myka was telling herself.

Myka didn't know why she ended up at HG's loft, but as she currently had no one else, and was going out of her mind, she climbed up the steps and paced outside HG's door. Twice she almost stalked back downstairs and considered sneaking into the precinct for the day. The chances that Captain Neilsen would find her and order her home were pretty good however, so she sighed and knocked on HG's door.

"Myka!" HG swung the door open and grinned broadly up at Myka. The detective smiled back, HG's smile was infectious. "To what do I owe the pleasure? Has someone perished gruesomely?"

"Umm...no."

HG cocked her head to the side in confusion, but pushed the door open and stepped back to let Myka in. "No one is dead, then...a personal call?"

Myka bit her bottom lip, she should have just tried to sneak into work. "Umm...I just went for a walk, I realized I was near where you lived, thought I'd say hi. How did the trick or treating go after you left?"

HG pointed to a table near the couch that was overflowing with candy. "We did quite well, would have been fun if you had joined us though."

"I didn't want to impose, plus Halloween's not really my thing."

"So I've been told, why is that?" HG asked. Myka shifted back and forth on her feet uncomfortably. HG ignored it and strolled past her into the kitchen. "Coffee?" She called over her shoulder.

"Um yes please, black..."

"One sugar." HG finished for her. Myka looked up in surprise. "Darling, I make paying attention to details my job. I am writing a series of novels about you, I do pay attention to you from time to time."

Myka smiled nervously and sat down at one of the stools in HG's kitchen. Unconsciously she began twirling a curl between her fingers. She smiled when HG set a mug in front of her and wrapped her hands around it. Grinning she raised her eyebrows at HG. "Is this a picture of Christina?"

"Yes. She made the mug for me last Christmas. There is a picture on the bottom of the mug once you finish your coffee as well." HG sat down across from Myka with her own mug and took a sip, her eyes remaining on Myka the entire time. "You never answered my question." She said.

"Hum?"

"Why you dislike Halloween."

"I told you yesterday, I don't eat sugar, so candy's out, I don't like dressing up and I'm not a big fan of scary movies."

HG was silent for a minute, drinking her coffee and sitting there looking elegant somehow in a t-shirt and leggins. Myka took a large sip of her coffee and instantly regretted it, choking a little and waving off HG as she rose to help. "You sure you're alright?" HG asked a moment later as Myka stopped coughing. Myka only nodded, not trusting herself to talk yet. "Well, then, I believe you are lying Detective Bering."

"What?"

"You say you don't eat sugar, but I've seen the stash of twizzlers in your desk drawer, perhaps you do indeed dislike dressing up, but the way your eyes lit up for a fleeting moment last night when Christina offered you be Tinkerbell makes me think at one time, you did enjoy it. Something is stopping you from doing so now, very likely, yourself. And finally, you were watching _The Phantom of the Opera_ last night as we showed up, admittedly, while not exactly what I would qualify as a 'scary' movie it is a ghost story and a haunting tale at that. You're a brave woman, I doubt a scary movie would frighten you. Also, Pete told me that the two of you used to go see old horror flicks together on the weekends, so you're busted." HG grinned triumphantly and leaned back in her chair, sipping her coffee. Myka was going to punch Pete the next time she saw him.

To avoid answering, Myka sipped her coffee. HG sat back, waiting patiently and Myka caved. "I _did_ used to like Halloween as a kid. I guess I grew out of it."

"Any particular reason?"

"It came in as a very close second after Christmas to my mother's favorite holiday. I guess I associate it with her." Myka answered quickly and without looking at HG.

"That makes sense." HG answered softly. Myka finished her coffee and laughed lightly at the picture she found at the bottom of the mug. Christina and HG, faces covered in makeup – clearly done by a very young Christina – their tongues sticking out and laughing. "So, Detective, if we are not off to solve a murder, what would you like to do today?"

"Oh, I don't...I wasn't trying to, I mean you don't have to..."

"Darling, I am yours for the day!" HG declared. "I welcome any opportunity to avoid writing and more so if it is with a beautiful woman."

Myka handed over the mug as HG held her hand out. And forced herself not to show her discomfort at the compliment. Even if Myka was interested in HG in that way – which she wasn't – the notion that HG wasn't exactly monogamous wasn't lost on Myka. Not only that, Myka had always been rather horrible at accepting any form of compliments.

Myka's phone rang and she quickly reached into her pocket and pulled it out as HG rinsed their coffee mugs. "Hey Pete."

"MYKS!" Pete screamed. Myka held the phone away from her ear. "HEY SO I'M UP NOW!"

"Why are you yelling?" Myka asked.

"CAUSE I AM TRYING TO ANNOY MY NEIGHBOR WHO TOTALLY STOLE ONE OF MY MAGAZINES."

"Well, you're annoying me so stop."

"Ugh, fine, want to get breakfast?"

"Pete, its almost noon."

"Lunch then, whatever I just woke up I want food. I don't really care what it is. Except I want it to be pizza, let's get pizza."

Myka glanced over at HG who had turned around and was watching Myka closely. Uncomfortably, she shifted in her seat. "Pete, I'm actually at HG's hold on a sec."

"Oh...Myka and HG sittin' in..." Pete began in a sing song voice. Myka immediately shoved the phone down under her leg to muffle the noise. HG crossed her arms and watched Myka with an amused look on her face.

"Umm...do you want to get pizza with Pete?" Myka asked.

"Sounds lovely, let me go change. Tell him to come meet us here, there is a brilliant place down the street."

"Okay." Myka nodded. HG ran upstairs and Myka pulled her phone back up. "Come to HG's she knows a good place around here."

"Myka, you know I take my pizza very seriously." Pete warned.

"Pete, do you want pizza or not?"

"Fine, I'm coming. But, may I add, whatcha doing at HG's place?"

"You were asleep, Leena's probably still with her date and who the hell knows what Claudia is still up to. I cleaned my whole apartment, bought enough groceries to last me two months, and was bored out of my mind. Because of my job, I don't know anyone else who is not a murderer. She was the last person on my list."

"Yeah...you really need to learn how to have a day off."

"I know how to have a day off." Myka protested.

"No, you don't. Any time you ever have a day off, you call me and make me tell you what to do."

"That is not..." Myka stoping bothering to protest. It was true. "Shut up Pete."

Pete hung up and promised he'd be there in less than twenty minutes. Myka stood up, walking around HG's loft and exploring. There were a lot of adorable picture of her and Christina, toys strewn about, but not cluttered, lived in, cosy. Myka liked it. She hadn't really gotten a goof look at the place the last time she had been here. She had been focused on their current case and had only glanced briefly around HG's office. She walked over to a book shelf and smiled at the titles, _Peter Pan, The Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland, The Velveteen Rabbit,_ and many more. Most of them were first editions, they must have cost a fortune. Myka forgot sometimes that HG was a millionaire. She hugged herself as she glanced around, itching to reach out and grab one of the books.

"Which one's your favorite?"

Myka jumped at HG's voice behind her. She turned around embarrassed and smiled awkwardly. "Oh, um, I always liked _Peter Pan_. You?"

"Neverland for me as well." HG grinned. "Is Pete on his way?"

"Oh, yeah, he should be here in a few minutes."

"Wonderful." HG smiled and gestured for Myka to have a seat. Myka waited for HG to say something, unsure why she felt so incredibly awkward and nervous. She couldn't remember feeling like this since she was a teenager. The way HG was studying her intently wasn't helping matters at all. She realized that for all the time they had spent together alone, they had almost always had a case to focus on. Now, Myka had no idea what to talk about.

"Stop." Myka finally ordered.

"Stop what?" HG laughed.

"Looking at me like that."

"Like what darling?"

"Like a puzzle or something. I thought you finished your novel, cut it out."

"You think I'm studying you for my books?"

"What else?"

"Myka, have you ever considered that perhaps I genuinely like you and desire your friendship?"

"Well...if we're gonna be friends, you can't do that. Its unnerving."

The doorbell rang and HG only smiled suggestively at Myka as she stood to greet Pete. "Who's ready for pizza!" Pete cheered. "HG, I don't know if Myka told you, but pizza is my favorite food and I am a harsh judge, so this better be good." Pete crossed his arms and stood over HG, trying to look intimidating. Myka stifled a laugh. "Or...or you know what, we might not be able to be friends. If you feed me bad pizza, we are done." Pete pointed his finger in HG's face and Myka burst out laughing.

"Well Mr Lattimer, today is your lucky day. I guarantee this is the best pizza you will ever have."

"That is a loaded statement HG." Myka warned as she walked over to them. "He doesn't kid around about pizza."

HG put her arms around both Myka and Pete's waists and led them out of the loft. "Prepare to be amazed my friends."


	11. Chapter 11

**Oh friends, writer's block is a bitch and I apologize. This is a short one, and was a very aggravating one, but I think I now have gotten myself back on track. Due to some personal family stuff I probably won't have any time to write this week, but look for a new chapter early next week sometime. Hope you're still with me, and hope you are continuing to enjoy:)**

Helena had been pleasantly surprised when Myka showed up at her door almost an hour earlier. She knew the detectives had the day off and hadn't been expecting to hear from any of them. Helena hadn't exactly been surprised when Myka had declined her offer to go trick or treating with her and Christina, but she would be lying if she said she hadn't been a little disappointed. Myka Bering was indeed a puzzle Helena wanted to solve, but the more she got to know the woman, she had a feeling she might never crack it. The taller woman didn't appear to be comfortable under Helena's gaze, she shifted her body nervously while Pete jumped up and down on the balls of his feet next to her. The three of them were waiting to order at Helena's favorite pizza place and she was enjoying seeing the two of them outside of work. Despite knowing them for almost four months now, the majority of time spent together was discussing cases. Helena had certainly gotten glimpses into their lives, but realized now as she was out with the two of them, that this really was the first time they had spent time together that had absolutely nothing to do with work. Helena liked it.

She knew that Pete and Myka had previously been partners and that they were best friends; but seeing them together outside of work and with no one else was not what Helena would have expected. They had a sort of wordless language – mostly consisting of Pete making faces and Myka hitting him – that Helena envied. She and her ex-husband Malcolm had been like that in the beginning. Helena hadn't had that with anyone else since.

Myka punched Pete in the arm as he tried to cut ahead in front of a teenage boy. "Myka, I'm starving." Pete whispered angrily at her as he rubbed his arm.

"Chill out Pete, we're next in line."

"_Starving_ Myka. _Lattimer_ starving." He complained. Helena watched as Myka simply rolled her eyes and turned away from him. She smiled sheepishly at Helena, as if apologizing for Pete's behavior. Helena only shook her head; she had spent enough time with Pete to no longer be fazed by it. "Hey HG, how'd you find this dive anyway?" He asked. Myka smacked him hard as a customer glared at him. "What?"

Helena laughed lightly. "Purely by accident. I was in the middle of an important phone call and my mobile died. I came in to use the phone, they said I had to order something. I've been coming here ever since."

"Finally!" Pete exclaimed as it was their turn in line. He jumped up and ordered faster than the girl behind the counter could write it all down; and they headed for a booth in the back. Pete slid in next to Myka and Helena sat down across from the two of them. They were quiet for a minute or two, before Pete broke the tension. "So, how'd trick or treating go?" He asked Helena.

"Wonderful, Christina has enough candy to last for months, though I'm sure it won't."

"Ha, I never had mine last more than a few days. When I was seven, I ate it all Halloween night, and threw up on my dad." Pete stated proudly.

Myka laughed. "When I was six I did that, only _I_ made it to the toilet."

Pete stuck his tongue out at her and Myka simply mimicked him. The waitress arrived with their pizza and Pete wasted no time taking a huge bite, then complaining about the heat. Myka and Helena showed him no sympathy. Helena pushed over a glass of water and Pete took a huge gulp. "That is AWESOME pizza HG." He exclaimed. "But man is it hot."

"So, I passed the Lattimer test?" Helena asked.

"Hell yeah!" Pete grinned and held his hand out for a high five. Helena shot a glance to Myka, who smiled as she reached up and high fived Pete. "Though, you can't be an official member of the club 'til you've slept on Myka's couch. Its a rule." He picked his pizza back up and ate greedily.

Helena turned to Myka. "Slept on your couch?" She asked, with her eyebrows raised.

"It's not a rule." Myka insisted quickly. "There are no such rules; Pete just tends to pass out cold when he is tired enough."

"Nope, it's a rule!" Pete insisted with his mouth full. "Claud has slept there too, and I think Leena did that one time when she was too drunk to drive home."

Myka shook her head and picked at her pizza. Helena glanced back and forth between the two of them, Pete, oblivious that he was making her uncomfortable, and Myka, clearly trying to show she wasn't. Helena hid her smirk and lifted her pizza to her lips. "Well, I'm sure at some point I'll get the opportunity." She said. Myka's looked up, surprised and caught Helena's eye. The raven haired author only smiled. "I'm sure we'll be working late on a case there at some point darling, don't you think?" Helena bit her food and chewed with a grin as Myka's cheeks tinted themselves with pink. All three of them ate quietly for a few moments, Helena had realized how hungry she was only once they had arrived at the restaurant. Oddly, she was happy about getting Pete's approval. Helena had many friends, but the majority of them were more like acquaintances or friends she only met up with casually. She had always found it easy to make friends; as a child she could assimilate herself into almost any social group with ease. That hadn't changed as she got older. However, none of the people had ever been particularly close to her. Sure, she was fond of a lot of people, she could enjoy their company, but many of them only saw what she wanted them to see; and very little knew anything substantial about her. The ones who did were all in Helena's past. She would never admit it, but Helena was lonely. Oh she loved Christina with all her heart, and she enjoyed her life, but the more she got to know the detectives at the twelfth precinct, the more she liked. She found herself wanting to know what they did on their time off, and wanting to be around them more, Myka most of all.

The three of them finished up their meal and walked outside. The weather was turning colder and Helena pulled her jacket tighter around her as they walked. The conversation turned light and joking back and forth the three of them headed back to Helena's building. As the neared it, Pete cracked a joke that made Myka burst out into laughter and Helena marveled at it. Myka's laugh was loud and beautiful, and Helena was determined to hear it more often. She bid them a good afternoon and told them she would see them tomorrow. Helena watched with a smile as Pete comically held out his arm to Myka and she laughed, taking it and walking along down the sidewalk.


	12. Chapter 12

**Thank you all for you patience, hope you're still with me! **

Myka shuffled out of her bedroom, wrapping a blanket around her shoulders. It had gotten much colder during the night. She immediately walked over to the heater and cranked it up; apparently, winter was coming early. She smiled as she looked at Pete sprawled out on her couch. His arms were up above his head and one of his legs had flopped down to the floor, along with his blanket. Myka sighed and yanked the blanket back up over him before heading straight to the coffee machine.

As the apartment warmed up Myka dug through her fridge to find some breakfast. Her shopping trip of boredom had served her well. Pete would have never forgiven her if he had woken up to moldy bread one more time. Myka shucked her blanket and threw it at Pete's head while she made french toast. As she suspected the smell of food woke Pete within minutes.

"Myka!" Pete complained as he tried to untangle himself from the two blankets. Myka chuckled as he fell over and tried to make it look graceful. "Whatcha cooking?" He asked eagerly once he was upright.

"French toast."

"Got any bacon?"

"No."

"Ugh." Pete poured himself some coffee and dug around in Myka's fridge. She ignored him and sat down with her breakfast at the counter. Pete took the rest of the french toast, yogurt, a banana, chocolate ice cream, two carrots, and a bag of goldfish and sat down across form her.

"Seriously?" Myka raised her eyebrows.

"Lattimer breakfast Myks The kind of champions." He grinned. Myka just shook her head as he shoved some goldfish in his mouth, then took a large bite of french toast. She never understood how the hell he could eat all that together. "So you know what, HG is actually cool. I mean, I liked her already and whatever, but now I definitely approve. The lady knows her pizza."

"Agreed." Myka had been a little surprised with how much fun she had had yesterday. As much as HG drove her crazy, and Pete and Leena's ridiculous notions of their relationship, Myka enjoyed the other woman's company. From now on, she was simply going to ignore her friends and act like a normal human being. It had worked when people thought she and Pete had been together, she figured it had to work again.

Myka jumped in the shower while Pete continued to stuff his face and got herself ready for work while he took his turn. Pete hadn't slept at Myka's place in a while, but back after Sam's death, he had been there almost every night and still had clothes there. She clicked onto her laptop to check her emails and yelled in anger. Pete came out of the shower, confused. "What?" He asked.

"I'm gonna kill her." Myka muttered. She closed her laptop before he could see what she was looking at and shoved him out the door. The two of them grabbed more coffee to go and headed to work. Claudia was already there, sitting at her desk and excitedly telling HG all of her – probably insane – Halloween adventures. Myka had told her to never again tell her how her nights went after one explicit story where Myka probably should have arrested the younger woman on the spot.

"Good morning detectives." HG greeted Myka and Pete. "Do we have a murder?"

"No, I have a bone to pick with you." Myka said with a glare. HG frowned and Pete made a poor attempt to hide his smirk.

"Come on Claud, this is one we're gonna want to get out of the way of." He joked.

Myka kicked him as he walked away and stood over HG. "What the hell is with the cover art on your new book?" She asked.

HG furrowed her eyebrows together in confusion. "The cover art? That's..." HG grinned. "That's only available to subscribers of my website! Are you WellsLover35? ILoveWells8? What did you think of your alter ego? Bloody brilliant right?"

Myka resisted the urge to smack her in the middle of the precinct. "No! Not bloody brilliant. She's _naked_." Myka hissed.

"She's not naked." HG insisted. "She's holding a gun...strategically."

Myka took a deep breath and tried to relax. Just when she had thought she and HG Wells could become friends... "You know, I take comfort in the fact that if they are already publishing the cover art then your book, and this partnership are almost done."

"Book one." HG said with a grin. Myka glared, turned around and sat down at her desk, refusing to look back up at HG. She couldn't believe how incredibly infuriating she could be one minute, compared to how genuine and sweet she could be the next.

"Bering, Wells, get in the car, we've got a case." Captain Neilsen said as he tore through the precinct. Confused, Myka grabbed the coat she had only just taken off and followed him, HG close behind, they climbed into a squad car.

"Sir, what's going on?" Myka asked.

"We've got a two year old went missing from her home earlier today. Father was painting and listening to music, he never heard anyone come in."

"She was taken from her home?" HG asked as the car came to a halt. The apartment was very close to the police station, they probably could have walked.

"Where's the body?" Myka asked stiffly.

Captain Neilsen turned around and sighed. "There isn't one. The girl's still missing." He said as he climbed out of the car and started to make his way to the apartment.

Confused, Myka followed him. "Sir, I don't understand if there hasn't been a homicide why am I here?"

"The feds requested you be on the task force."

"Feds?" HG asked.

"The FBI has jurisdiction over child abduction cases." Myka explained quickly to HG.

"Then why did you call me?" HG asked the Captain.

"Because I enjoy pissing off the FBI, plus you think outside the box which is something they rarely do."

"Sir, who is the special agent in charge?"

"Bering, it doesn't matter we've..."

Myka interrupted him. She had a feeling she knew who had requested her, but there was no way. She was hoping...needing to be wrong. "Sir, who?" She pressed.

"Sorenson." Captain answered begrudgingly. Myka felt her knees buckle slightly at the name.

"Who's Sorenson?" HG asked.

Myka completely ignored her. "I thought that he was in Boston."

"Not anymore." Captain said. "He's here."

"Who's Sorenson?" HG repeated.

"This isn't going to be a problem is it detective?" Captain asked, also ignoring HG's questions. "We're all professionals here right?"

"Actually, I'm not. Who's Sorenson?"

Myka wouldn't even look at HG. She felt like going and throwing up a little bit but instead she stood up straight and looked her Captain in the eye. "No sir, not a problem."

"For what it's worth, this little girl doesn't care about your history, nor do her terrified parents. They just want their daughter back alive." He warned her. Myka couldn't help but feel chastised for something she hadn't even done, but she only nodded sharply as the Captain's phone rang.

"Where is he sir?" She asked.

"He's over talking to the parents." Captain pointed before answering the call.

Myka took a breath before turning and looking over at the light haired man. He caught her eye and walked over. Myka clasped her hands together behind her back and tried to ignore HG's stare.

"Hi Myka."

"Hello Will." Myka said much more calmly than she felt. "How long have you been back?"

"A couple months."

"Something wrong with Boston?"

"Fresh lobster gets old fast." He tried to joke. She bit the inside of her lip. "You look good." He said, staring at her.

Myka bit down harder and tried not to shift her body around awkwardly. "Thanks." She said stiffly. "I feel good." Myka felt HG step closer to her and she cleared her throat. "Um...this is Helena Wells."

"The famous novelist." Will said with a hint of mockery. HG only smiled at him. "So, Captain Neilsen filled me in on your little arrangement and I have no problem with it as long as it doesn't interfere with this investigation." He said, looking more at Myka than HG.

"Oh, don't worry about me, quiet as a mouse." HG answered. Myka frowned a little at the lack of joking in her voice. It wasn't exactly like the author not to pry in this kind of situation. Myka couldn't worry about that now however, and listened along with HG as Will got them up to speed on the case. The apartment was on the ground floor, and windows led out to an alleyway. The family had no bars on the windows, two year old Angela had been watching tv while her father listened to his ipod and painted; letting her mother sleep in, neither of them had heard a thing. Will had already gotten her picture out along with an amber alert. Myka bit her lower lip as they walked away from speaking with the parents. She sensed Will come up behind her and tensed.

"This one will go a lot better, I promise." He said softly before walking away. Myka ignored HG's look and walked quickly past her as they headed out back to the station.

The silence coming from HG was maddening, and as they waited in the elevator Myka couldn't take it anymore. "Six months." She said awkwardly.

"Six months what?"

"We dated for six months." Myka explained.

"Hum, I didn't ask."

"Yeah, I know you were not asking very loudly."

"I know! I'm quite good at that." HG boasted. Myka rolled her eyes and practically jumped out of the elevator. "So, how exactly did you two meet?" HG inquired.

"Kidnapping, six year old boy."

"How did it end?"

Myka took a breath. She could not get into this now. "We got the guy." She said firmly. Looking up to Claudia heading towards her she immediately jumped into work mode. She could freak out about Will later. "What have we got on the parents?" She asked the redhead.

"Teresa and Alfred Candela, married ten years, one child Angela Candela age two, adopted."

"Adopted?" Myka asked.

"Yeah, two years ago, Mom's a fund manager, Dad's a small time artist, shows at a couple of galleries once in a while. Neighbors said he usually stays home with the kid."

"Alright, here is a list of everyone who has access to the apartment, babysitters, neighbors, cleaning ladies, etc. Let's cross them off, and see if there are any registered sex offenders in the area. The dad said what they did this morning was part of a routine, maybe someone knew it and jumped through the window when they knew he wouldn't hear." Myka's phone rang and she stood up to answer it as Claudia and Pete turned to their computers. "Actually, it probably wasn't a sex offender at all, parents just got a ransom note." She informed them. "Still run checks on the people on that list." Myka nodded to HG and the raven haired women jumped up to follow her.

* * *

Helena sat quietly, just slightly out of the way as they listened to the recording of the ransom note. She looked over at the parents, especially the tearful mother and sighed. She couldn't even begin to imagine what they were going through. The second she had a free moment, she was going to call Christina. Will pacified the parents and got them to look through their finances to try and scrounge up the ransom money. Helena was very curious about the man. He was not at all her type, and she was trying to see what it was Myka has seen in him. The small voice at the back of her head that screamed, jealous was there as well. Helena was well aware that she had absolutely no room to be jealous. Sure, when she had first met Myka, she had been taken with the woman. She flirted, as she tended to do and she had been genuinely intrigued. Over the months however that had dissipated; at least to the extent of a one night stand. Helena flirted of course, it was one of her favorite things to do, but she didn't have any notions that it would lead to anything at all. Myka was – as far as Helena knew – straight, and clearly not looking for a one night stand. She was a relationship type of girl for sure, Helena...was not.

The more time Helena spent with Myka though, the more she grew to genuinely care for the other woman. She truly enjoyed the friendship that was blooming, and while she had been trying to ignore it; she would be lying to herself if she said there wasn't a little part of her that would be opposed to more than friendship.

The two of them at least were finally growing some sort of familiarity. This Will person – and Myka's strong reaction to him – was quite a new development. Helena had seen the way Myka's had almost tried to sit down when Captain Neilsen said his name. Whatever happened between the two of them in those six months, it had most certainly effected Myka greatly. Helena was determined to know more. She walked up to Will and got herself a cup of coffee. "Do you do this a lot?" She asked by way of a greeting. "Kidnappings? You seem to know what to say."

"It's not about what you say. It's about controlling the situation, controlling the emotions." He answered without turning around to look at Helena.

"You requested your ex-girlfriend to the task force, that doesn't indicate to me a control of your emotions."

"I requested Bering because she is the best in the city."

"Not because you wanted to see her again?" Helena prodded.

Will let out a small laugh and finally turned around. He stepped forward, invading Helena's personal space slightly. "How about you Wells, you wrote what...twenty bestsellers?"

"Twenty-six, but who's counting?" She said with a little shrug.

"Why the sudden need to shadow a real detective?"

"Ah, well the ones on telly seem oddly fixated on their sunglasses." Helena said cheekily.

"So, with all the fat, balding detectives in the NYPD, you just happen to end up shadowing her?"

"Must be fate." Helena answered. She did not like this man one bit. She didn't think it had solely to do with Myka either. If she had met him in a different situation, she was sure that she would feel the same. Right now, she would rather like to slap him. She wondered for a moment if this cocky, arrogant bravado was how she came off to Myka. She certainly hoped not. No, for all that Helena was aware of how she could come off as annoying, Myka would have actually gotten rid of her, or seriously told her to cut it out if that were true. Myka wasn't a pushover by any means, she had to enjoy Helena's teasing on some level, or she wouldn't allow it.

Speaking of the devil, before Will could respond, Myka walked in. "The Candelas have pulled their financials, and their sister, the accountant or whatever is on her way to help. Anything in the transcripts from the call?"

"Whoever made the demand knew exactly what they were worth." Helena supplied before Will could say anything. From the sigh he let out, she knew that she'd hit a nerve. Helena smiled a little to herself and walked with Myka over to the Candelas. Pulling literally all of the money that they had, they would have just enough to pay the ransom. Helena looked over at Alfred Candela in the other room. He was throwing paint against a canvas. His wife, Teresa caught Helena's glance.

"He paints when he's stressed." She explained.

"Does he sell a lot?" Helena asked.

"Some." Teresa answered.

"That's generous." Her sister scoffed. Helena was about to ask more about his work when Will cut her off; asking if there was anyone who knew their financials who might have done this. Teresa shook her head, but Alfred walked over and reminded her of a situation at work.

"It really wasn't that big of a deal, he wasn't preforming well at work so I let him go. He called a few times angrily afterwords."

"He threatened you?" Will asked.

"He blamed me for his divorce, he said his wife left him because I fired him and..." She trailed off.

"And what?" Myka prodded gently.

"And she took his two kids."

* * *

Myka walked with HG and Will towards the interrogation room. They had picked up Douglas Ellers, the man that had been fired by Teresa Candela a few minutes before. "I'll take lead." Will said with his hand on the doorknob. Myka nodded and she and HG moved to follow him inside. "No." Will said looking directly at HG.

"She'll be fine Will." Myka argued.

"Myka, I don't care how big a fan of her you are, she doesn't come in the room."

Myka stared at Will, getting ready to subdue HG when she protested. Instead, she surprised Myka and complied immediately. "Fine, it's fine." She said, walking to watch from behind the mirror. She paused and turned back around to them. "Just...for the recored though exactly how big a fan is she?"

Thankfully, Will said nothing and Myka followed him into the room as HG walked away with Claudia and Pete. Myka wasn't sure what was going on between the two of them, but something was; she didn't have the time or energy to worry about it now. She stepped into the room briskly and introduced herself without looking at Mr Ellers. She took a seat across from him while Will paced behind her.

"Mr Ellers when was your last contact with Teresa Candela?" Will asked.

"Teresa Candela? What's going on?"

"Just answer the question." Myka ordered.

"What did she say about me?" Mr Ellers said as he shifted in his chair and tugged on his blazer.

"Let's talk about what you said to her." Will said as he pulled out a recording and played it. Douglas Ellers' voice filled the room yelling and threatening Teresa. "You left that three months ago." Will said.

"So what, every word is true. What, she's gonna press charges now?" Mr Ellers scoffed.

"Yeah, kidnapping, assault, harassment, breaking and entering." Will listed off angrily.

"What! Kidnapping? What the hell are you talking about?"

"Angela Candela was taken from her home this morning." Myka said, glaring across at him. She and Will pressed him for a few more minutes before leaving the interrogation room. Will immediately yelled out for Claudia and Pete to get his alibi.

"I think it's quite clear he didn't do it." HG said as they walked back over to their desks.

"What, now you're a mind reader too?" Will scoffed.

"Oh come now, if he did indeed do it he would be downplaying his feelings for Teresa, not wearing them out on his sleeve." HG sat down in her chair next to Myka's desk.

"Couple of bestsellers doesn't make you a criminologist."

"I also don't need to be a whether man to tell that the sky is blue." HG bit back.

Myka had had enough. "Oh for god sakes, will you two cut it out? The fact is you're both right; he probably didn't do it but when a child's life is at stake we have to be sure. We have to question everything we think we know." She looked up to Claudia and Pete. "Keep him here until you have got a solid alibi for this morning. Will, you and I are going back to the Candelas we're gonna profile all their associates."

"What should I do?" HG stood up and asked. Myka turned back around, ignoring Will behind her and walked back to HG.

"I need you to go home." She said firmly. She was ready for HG to finally start arguing, instead she looked over Myka's shoulder at Will for a second, then back to Myka.

"Okay." She agreed softly. "But if you need me, call. Even if it's just to talk." And with that Helena Wells gave her a tiny smile and walked away leaving a confused and surprised Myka behind.

Almost an hour later, Myka walked into the break room to find Will. "Hey, so we got back Ellers alibi, it's solid." She said slightly defeated. Will handed her a mug and she accepted it with a small smile. "Apparently he was having his usual poached eggs this morning, the owner of the diner confirmed it."

"Would have been too easy right?" Will said leaning against the counter. Myka mimicked him and sipped her coffee. "Or over easy." He joked.

Myka frowned and looked up at him before letting out a light laugh. "That's like something HG would say."

"You like her." He stated. Myka looked up sharply, the smile dropping from her face. Will just stared at her. "You act different around her."

"No I just um...I dunno she's interesting."

"So you're not...batting for the other team or anything now?" Will asked.

Myka smiled. "No."

Will leaned forward. "I meant to call, must have picked up the phone a dozen times."

Myka pushed herself off of the counter and moved away from him. Crossing her arms and putting a few feet between the two of them. "Yeah, I know, you meant to do a lot of things. That's why you left."

"Boston was a great opportunity." He argued.

Myka walked further away, leaning against the doorway. "I'm not saying that it wasn't, I'm saying that it didn't include me."

"You could have come."

"And then done what? Join the Boston PD? And then move to Phoenix, and then Cleveland and then you're back here, I mean we both know what that life is all about."

Will moved closer to her, resting his arm up above her. "Didn't stop me from missing you, missing us, sundays in the park...those ridiculous neon green skates of yours in Rockefeller Center."

Myka laughed. "I will have you know, that those ice skates are awesome." She insisted.

He moved closer and Myka tensed. "It wasn't the skates." He said as he cupped the sides of her face.

"Will...I..." Myka began to protest, but the next thing she knew, his lips were on hers and she was kissing him back. Not moving into him at all, but not pushing him away. A million things ran through her head, but at the same time, it was if nothing else existed right now. Suddenly, it was a year ago, and just a normal day. Myka had been angry when he left, and she had been hurt, but it certainly hadn't been her worst break up and she wasn't in love with Will. She could have been perhaps, given more time. Suddenly to have him back here, working together on a kidnapping case again, him bringing up everything, questioning her relationship with HG, it was all too much. Yet, she hadn't been kissed by anyone in the year since he left, and it felt nice, and familiar, so she didn't push him away.

Not until she heard HG's voice.

"Oh...I thought cops and feds hated each other." HG joked as she walked into the room. Myka leapt away from Will as though she had been burned and rubbed at her lips unconsciously. She would have been embarrassed had anyone caught her kissing in the break room, but the fact that it was HG somehow made it worse. "They say justice never sleeps, I think I now know why." HG said with a grin as she walked towards them.

Myka couldn't quite look her in the eye. "We were just..."

"Being consenting adults, I'm not judging." She said softly. Myka finally looked up from the floor and caught her eye.

"I thought I told you to go home." Myka said.

"I did go home, but then my mother told me something that couldn't wait."

"You live with your mother?" Will asked with a hint of disdain. Apparently, kissing Myka wasn't enough to make him get along with HG.

"Yes, apparently we're peas in a pod, the point is, Angela's adopted."

"So?" Myka asked.

"So, prior to giving up Angela, her birth mother would have been given background on the Candelas, specifically, their ability to support the child."

"She would have knowledge of their finances." Myka nodded.

"Really Myka, we're gonna waste time on the insights of Nancy Drew over here."

HG turned to him with a small glare. "Is that supposed to be an insult? Because Nancy Drew solved every case." She smiled and turned back to Myka. "And, I'm quoting here, when a child's life is at stake, we have to be sure, we have to question everything we think we know." She said directly to Myka.

* * *

Helena watched as Myka spoke to the biological father of the baby. They had brought in the birth mother thinking perhaps she had regretted her decision. There was a form with her signature on it requesting to know the identity of Angela. After Myka and Will spoke with her, they realized the signature had been faked. Juan, the father had been in Iraq when Angela had been born, and tried to run when he saw the detectives.

Will was standing away by the cars while Myka talked to Juan, and Helena sauntered over to him. "What, no good cop, bad fed?" She asked.

"The guy did two tours in the gulf, I go over there, it'll turn into a pissing match. Myka...she's got a way of sneaking up on people."

"You mean like last night?" Helena asked with a smirk. Will lifted his head down and stared at her without a word. "I'm just saying, looked like quite a kiss."

"You jealous Wells? Everybody who can read knows you play for both teams." He raised his eyebrows and frowned at her. "Frequently." He added.

"Me? No, though you have to admit, I was right." She said pointing over to Myka and Juan.

Will turned to her, standing up tall and looking down at her. "You are jealous. You've got a crush on a girl who is as straight as they come and is never gonna think twice about you."

"Frankly I don't see anything to be jealous of."

Will glared at her, then smirked. "We'll see."

They all convened back at the station to check out the birth father's alibi, which turned out to be solid. Helena could see Myka unraveling before her eyes.

"I don't care, he had motive and opportunity." Will said angrily.

"His motive was fatherhood, if he had taken her he would have been with her, not at work." Helena insisted.

"Doesn't matter, I want ESU at his place."

"It's not him Will!" Myka yelled. Helena glanced up at her in shock. In all the months she had known Myka so far, she hadn't seen her lose control of herself like this before. "We're at square fucking one and we've got _nothing_. You can send ESU wherever the hell you want but I'm _not_ losing this one."

Myka stormed out and left Helena and Will alone in the break room. "What does she mean 'not losing this one'?" Helena asked.

Will sighed. "The case we worked."

"I thought you got the guy."

"We did...but the kid was already dead." Will's phone rang and he jumped up immediately. "Come on, they got another call for the ransom." He said to Myka. The three of them went back to the Candelas home, they had the money all set to go in the type of backpack that the kidnappers had instructed. Helena sat anxiously as they listened to the kidnappers tell them where to go with the money. After they hung up, Will was going over the details with Myka, planning on making the drop himself.

"No." Alfred Candela insisted. "They said no cops."

"Mr Candela, I've done this before, they won't know I'm an agent."

"And if they do?" Alfred asked. Neither Will nor Myka answered him. "No cops. We are gonna follow their instructions. I'm her father I'll do it." He insisted and walked away.

"No way we can let him do it, he's too emotional." Will said once Alfred was out of earshot.

"What choice do we have?" Myka asked.

"Me." Helena offered before she even realized what she was doing.

"What?!" Myka turned behind her to look at Helena.

"Well, I'm not a cop, and I'm certainly not emotional." She answered.

"No, absolutely not." Will argued.

"Why not? The NYPD already has a signed waver from me, and...I don't like saying this, but you're running out of time."

"HG's right Will." Myka said.

"You can't be serious."

"She's been with me on cases before, she's good under pressure." Myka insisted. "And...she's our best shot." Helena couldn't help feeling a little smug as Myka defended her to Will. He glared at her, but nodded.

A few moments later, Helena was alone with Myka and the FBI agent attaching a wire to her torso. Myka stood off to the side, arms crossed. "Ah, cold hands darling." Helena complained to the female agent. She didn't appear sympathetic.

"So, this is usually the part where I ask you if you thought things through, but then I remember you don't exactly think things through do you?" Myka asked. "These people are dangerous HG, you need to stay alert and focused."

"Alert and focused, ah! Darling really, those are bloody cold, maybe if you rubbed them together or something...wait, alert and what?" She joked. Myka whipped her head around. "I'm just kidding." She assured her.

"You're good to go." The agent said and pat her freezing hands on Helena one more time for good measure before exiting the room.

"Darling, it's going to be okay." Helena insisted lightly.

"Hey, about...about last night, what happened in the break room I just...I wanted to..."

"Oh, Myka you don't need to explain that."

"I don't?"

"Well, unless you want to?"

"No, you know I just figured...for the character, for Nikki Heat..." Myka trailed off and Helena stepped closer to her.

"Yes, I think I understand Nikki Heat better than you think I do." She said softly.

Myka nodded and bit he lip. "Be careful okay?" She said. Helena could have sworn those were tears in her eyes as Myka quickly walked away.

"Do I detect actual concern for my well being?" She asked cheekily.

Myka whipped around. "Screw this up and I'll kill ya."

"Well, now that's more like it."

* * *

Myka sat in an unmarked car with Will, a radio to let her communicate with HG in her hands. Comically, HG was narrating everything she was doing. "HG, you don't need to say over, or tell us your position, we can see you. Now shut up and focus."

"Roger, five by five, over." HG answered back. Myka only shook her head.

"She's quite a lady." Will said. "Does she know how big a fan you really are?"

"No." Myka insisted. "And she's not going to." She grinned at Will.

"What, you never told her how you waited in line for almost three hours to get your book signed, or how her books got you through your mother's death?"

"Is there anything you don't remember?" Myka asked.

"Not when it comes to you no." He answered. Myka turned her attention to HG and watched as she bent down as instructed and pulled out the cell phone the kidnappers had taped to the bottom of a mailbox. "What's it say?" She asked over the radio.

"They can see us, might want to tell Pete and Claudia to hang back a bit, they know I'm wearing a black jacket and tan pants."

"Okay, they can see you, this doesn't change anything." Myka insisted. Her cell phone beeped and she pulled it out, read the message from HG and frowned.

**You guys making out? **

"Tell her to quit fooling around." Will said.

"Yeah, like that'll help." Myka dropped her phone onto her lap and watched as HG begin walking again.

"Alright, it says to cross the street and head west on East 47th. That's left right?"

"Right." Myka answered.

"Right, right or right left?" HG said as she stumbled around looking at street signs.

"LEFT." Myka and Will answered at the same time. HG whipped around and pressed on. Myka sat tense and fidgety in the car as she entered the correct building.

"They want me to leave the bag at the shoe shine stand and walk away."

"Okay, go ahead." Myka watched as HG, dropped the bag, and exited the building. Pete and Claudia walked in seconds later and looked around to see who took the bag. Seeing a man carrying the bright green bag, Pete tackled him, only to find it full of newspapers. The two of them stared as people carrying the same backpacks all suddenly walked around the building.

Back at the Candelas, they explained that they found out the kidnappers had posted an ad on craigslist. They told people it was a flash mob for youtube and sent out the backpacks as a way to get the money away free. Myka saw the dejected look on the parents faces and hated herself. She walked over to HG and sat down next to her.

"I should have looked back to see who picked up the bag."

"That wasn't your job." Myka insisted. "You did good."

HG sighed and looked over at a picture of Angela. "I can't imagine if something like this ever happened to Christina."

Hours later, Myka was still at the Candelas home. Sleeping upright in a rocking chair in Angela's room, she awoke to a noise. She glanced down at the floor to find HG crawling around with a flashlight. "Go back to sleep." Was all she said before she pushing stuffed animals around.

"Wells, what the hell are you doing?" Myka asked while rubbing her eyes.

"When Christina was little she had a stuffed monkey that she could not live without. One time we went on vacation and forgot to pack her. I bought her another one, but she knew it was not Monkey Bunky."

"So?"

"So..." HG held up a photograph of Angela, her mother and a stuffed white bunny. "There are two other pictures of her out there with this bunny, so...I'm thinking where is the bunny?" HG said as she looked around some more.

"You're thinking that whoever took Angela knew her well enough to take the bunny too?" Myka asked. HG nodded and pushed more stuffed animals around. "But we went through all the babysitters, teenagers, all of them have alibi's..."

HG cut her off. "Yes, but sometimes babysitters aren't teenagers, their family. When did we lose the signal on the phone I slipped into the bag?"

Myka almost grinned up at HG. "Right after we told the Candelas about it. Shit." Myka jumped up with HG following right behind. "Will." Myka whispered. "Trace the sister's phone, Nina."

Minutes later, they had what they needed, and immediately drove over to Nina Candelas' home. Will walked over to her and arrested her, while Myka made a beeline for Angela, who was sitting in a playpen. Myka bent down and smiled as Angela reached her little arms out to her. "Hi Angela, how are you?" Myka asked as she picked the little girl up. "You want to go home?" Angela nodded and rested her head on Myka's shoulder. As they arrived back at the Candelas with Angela, Myka reveled in the look of utter relief and glee on Alfred Candela's face as he took Angela from Myka. She immediately looked over at Teresa, who made no move to come and hug her daughter.

"Honey, what's wrong?" Alfred asked. "Look, she's here! She's okay." No one said a thing. "What's going on?" Alfred asked. Will quietly asked one of his agents to take Angela out of the room and Myka watched as realization sunk in on Alfred's face. "What did you do?" He asked Teresa.

Myka stood there quietly – all four of them did – while Teresa yelled at her husband. She complained that she worked fourteen hour days, paid all the bills, while he sat at home painting and listening to music; ignoring his daughter and never selling anything. It made Myka sick to listen to her rationalize kidnapping her own daughter as a ploy to get all their money and prove her husband negligent. She was just glad it was over. Finally, over.

It was far later than she should still be at the station when Myka finally finished with her paperwork. She hadn't slept properly at all in the last couple of days, and was practically nodding off right there.

Will walked up to her and sat down in HG's chair. "So, how do you think she'll do?" He asked.

"Depends on how many mothers are on the jury."

"So, now that it's over, now that I'm back I was...thinking maybe we could give it another shot." He said, getting straight to the point.

"And when you leave again?" She asked.

"You come with me." He answered immediately. Myka bit her lip and looked away from him. "Think about it." He said and stood up, placing a hand on her shoulder lightly as he walked away. Myka watched him and turned in surprise as HG sat down where he had just been.

"Not a bay guy." She said with a genuine smile. "I can see how it wouldn't work though."

Myka made a face. "Oh yeah?"

"Handsome, square jawed, by the book."

"And that's a bad thing?" Myka asked.

"Yes! He's like the male you. Ying needs Yang not Ying and Ying. Ying and Yang is balance, Ying and Ying is...the name for a panda."

"Any more wisdom Obi wan?"

"Nope, that is it for the night. Shall we celebrate with a drink?"

"No. I am so tired I could fall down right here. I have got a date with my very large, very comfortable bed." Myka said as she pulled her coat on and gathered her things. HG raised her eyebrows and Myka only rolled her eyes. "Night Wells." She said as she walked out of the station.

"Until tomorrow detective." HG called after her. Myka smiled to herself as she got in the elevator.


	13. Chapter 13

Myka looked up as she heard a knock on her front door. Tugging her sweatshirt down, she stood up and answered it; not fully shocked to see Will on the other side.

"Hey." She greeted him warmly.

"Hi Myka." He grinned. She smiled back, but made no move to invite him in. Instead, she crossed her arms in front of her chest and leaned on the doorway, blocking his entrance. "Ah, it's like that?" He asked. Myka shook her head slightly, but smiled at him. "Myka..."

"I'm not that girl Will." She said softly, jumping right into it. "I think you know that. It's why you never asked me last time. You knew I'd say no."

"I don't think you would have." He played with his tie rather than look up at her.

"Maybe not." She admitted. "Maybe I would have come, but I would have hated you for it eventually."

"Myka..." He trailed off, unsure of what to say. Myka didn't want to hurt him; she may not be in love with Will, but he was a decent guy and she was trying to make this as painless as she could. Myka uncrossed her arms, about to reach for him, but thought better of it.

"Will, I...I'm just not that girl." She repeated.

He nodded. "It couldn't hurt to try right? A person would be crazy not to at least try with you." He said with a shrug. Myka licked her lips and smiled, shaking her head in protest. "It's not just that though is it?" He asked.

"What?"

"It's not just the moving, and following my job around, there's someone here that's keeping you isn't there?" He asked.

Myka raised her eyebrows in confusion. "Well, yeah my dad, my job, my friends..."

He interrupted her. "No...Myka, you know that woman is attracted to you right? I mean you said that you're not...she's more than just 'interesting' isn't she?"

Realizing what Will meant, Myka immediately stiffened. "Will..."

"I don't know if you realize it or not yet, but I hope you figure out what you want soon Myka; you deserve to be happy." He smiled, leaned forward and kissed her cheek before turning to leave.

"Will!" Myka called after him. "You do too."

He nodded his head, then walked down the hall leaving Myka alone and more confused than ever. She walked back into her apartment and poured herself a cup of coffee. She sunk down into her couch and brought the warm liquid to her lips.

What Will had said made no sense. HG was a flirt, but she was that way with everyone; she didn't honestly have any feelings for Myka. She was sure of it. HG got bored easily and liked pushing people's buttons, for some reason, she particularly enjoyed pushing Myka's. Despite what Pete and Leena said, Myka believed that. Sure, perhaps when they had first met months ago, HG might have been initially interested in more, but now that they were...friends – for lack of a better word – Myka was sure the flirting was just amusing to her. She wasn't sure what Will had seen or heard that led him to believe otherwise, but it bothered her. Myka was sick of other people telling her what she was feeling, people had been doing that since her mother's murder. She'd feel this way for so long, reacting this way was normal, etc. it drove her crazy. HG had wormed her annoying little way into being Myka's friend; and that was that.

And right now, Myka was bored and sick of sitting in her apartment. She set her cup down in the sink and pulled on her coat, a scarf and went for a walk. Per usual, she ended up at Pete's apartment. He opened the door with a slice of pizza in his hand and his mouth full. "Myks!" He grinned. "Want some pizza?" He held the slice out to her and she grimaced. It was covered in various types of meat and something that looked suspiciously like gummy worms.

"Any just cheese?" She asked.

"For you, of course." He opened the door all the way and nodded for her to come in. She shucked her coat and hung it up as she walked after him.

"How'd you know I was coming?" She asked. Pete never ate just cheese, if he ordered it himself; though if it was available he would take it. If food was available anywhere, Pete would take it.

"I didn't, I always get part cheese just in case." He answered as he handed her a plate. Myka looked up at him, touched, but he had already made his way back to the couch and the tv. Instead Myka smiled to herself, grabbed a slice and sat down next to him. "So...what's up with you and Will?" He asked during a commercial.

"Nothing." Myka brushed her mouth with a napkin. "I think he's going back to Boston, or Phoenix, I'm not sure."

"So that's that?"

Myka set her plate down on the foot table and leaned back into the couch. "That's that." She answered. Pete leaned back with her and she rested her head on his shoulder.

* * *

Helena scanned the living room from behind the kitchen counter. She didn't see Christina anywhere. Quickly she bolted out and ran to her office. Christina jumped out from behind the couch and pelted her with stuffed animals. "I win!" She announced. Helena narrowed her eyes and lunged at her daughter. Christina squealed with delight and ran away, but she wasn't fast enough. Helena grabbed her tiny waist and hoisted her up into the air, peppering her face with kisses and tickling her. "Mom!" She yelled as she tried to wriggle out of her grasp.

"Do you give up?" Helena asked.

"Yes!"

Helena stopped tickling and let her go. Christina turned around, whacked Helena on the head with a teddy bear and ran upstairs. "Love you!" She yelled over her shoulder. "Get some writing done!"

"I'll get you back for that!" Helena warned. She only heard giggles in response and sighed. She really _should_ get some writing done, but avoiding it was much more entertaining. Helena went into her office, but instead of going to her laptop, she pulled out Johanna Bering's murder file. Helena had only gone over it a few times since acquiring it from Pete. She had made a copy, then given the original back to him a few months ago. Helena could only imagine how hard it must have been to read this knowing it was about your own mother. While her relationship with Martha was perhaps slightly tumultuous, she loved her dearly and would be devastated by her death.

Helena pulled out her phone and dialed Dr Clark Murray, a man she had used on more than one occasion to get correct details in her novels. "Hello Clark, how are you?"

"Working as usual, you?" He asked cheerfully.

"You sound tired."

"I've been helping out in the ER, I _am_ tired. How can I help you Helena?"

"Now Clark, I can't call to check up on a friend?"

"I'm sure you could, but you never have."

Helena could practically hear the smirk in his voice and smiled. "Fair enough, one of these days I shall. Today, is not that day however, I've got a favor to ask. There is a cold case; a woman stabbed in an alley, no robbery, no sexual assault, it was labeled as random gang violence and never solved."

"And you can't stand stories not having an ending?"

"You know me all too well." Helena leaned back and hoisted her legs up on her desk. "Also, the woman was the mother of a friend of mine, I'd love any input you have. Fresh set of eyes and all; could I send you the file? Have you look it over, see if anything jumps out at you?"

"Sure, I can't guarantee anything, but I'll give it a look."

"Clark your a doll." Helena exclaimed. She hung up with him and made another copy of the file, setting it up to mail in the morning. Then begrudgingly, Helena sat down to write.

* * *

Myka tapped her pen aimlessly on her desk. She was restless and far too caffeinated. HG sauntered into the bullpen and walked over to Myka's desk, holding out a coffee. "Black, one sugar." She announced.

Myka waved her off. "Thanks, but I've had way too much already today."

HG frowned, but held it out to Claudia as the younger redhead walked by. "Coffee?"

"Yessss." Claudia moaned. She accepted it and took a large sip before grimacing. "Ugh, not enough sugar." She took another sip. "No cream?" She scoffed.

Myka only shrugged and HG just stared at her. "Gross." Claudia said, and walked off to fix her coffee.

"So..." HG began as she sat down at her chair next to Myka's desk. "No William?" She asked and she scanned the precinct.

"He went back to Boston I think." Myka answered without looking up from her file. While she had decided that Will and Pete were crazy, she still found her cheeks reddening in embarrassment.

"You think?" HG asked. Myka side eyed HG. The raven haired woman was trying – not particularly hard – not to show the smirk etching onto her face.

Myka bit down on the inside of her lip. "Yes."

"So, decided it wouldn't work after all?" HG playfully asked. Myka set her pen down on her desk and stood up.

"Apparently."

"I thought you'd had too much coffee?" HG asked as she walked toward the break room.

"I have, I need a glass of water." Myka called over her shoulder. She didn't get a chance to get one however, as the Captain walked out of his office and announced they had a body down by the river. Myka turned around and grabbed her coat, HG following her outside. She listened as Leena went over the details of the murder and tried to ignore her dry throat. It had yet to snow, but it was growing colder by the day. Myka pulled out a dark green beanie and placed it on her head, pressing it against her freezing ears. She looked over and watched with an amused grin as HG bounced up and down on her toes in an attempt to keep warm. They walked back towards the car and HG suddenly ran ahead, walking up to a vendor. "HG!" Myka called after her. "Come on, it's freezing." She shoved her bare hands into her pockets and shivered.

HG came back over at a jog and handed Myka a water bottle with a grin. "You said you were thirsty. Now, that young man did not look exactly upper west side, what would he be doing all the way out here?" She asked as she walked towards the car.

Myka gratefully uncapped the water bottle and took a sip. "Thanks." She said. HG shook her head and half skipped over to the car. "I might have another hat if you want." Myka offered.

"Oh, I look dreadful in hats."

Myka raised her eyebrows as they climbed into her car. She cranked the heat up and rubbed her cold hands together. "I doubt you could look dreadful in anything." She said as she tried to will the car to warm up faster. She didn't notice HG turn sharply to her and smile.

"Why thank you darling, alas, you've never seen me in a hat. I haven't the head for it."

Myka pulled the car out of the lot and drove back to the precinct. The two of them bouncing theories off one another. They met up with Pete and Claudia and the four of them got straight to work. Spending all day looking into John Rivera's life. By the time seven rolled around, they were all exhausted and had finally made some headway into the case. Before falling asleep at her desk, Myka told them all to go home and get some sleep. HG plopped down next to her and grinned widely as she pulled Myka's beanie on top of her head.

"See? Dreadful." She announced. "And I am only letting you see since practically everyone else has gone home."

Myka bit her lip, she thought HG looked absolutely adorable. "You should wear hats more often, that kind at least. I don't see anything dreadful." She answered honestly.

HG grinned like a little girl and stood up. "Coming?" She asked. Myka nodded and pulled her coat on, holding her hand out for her hat, but HG shook her head. "I think I'll keep it. If you truly think it suits me?"

"It suits you."

"May I keep it?"

Myka sighed. "Sure, it's all yours."

HG let out a little squeal of delight and wrapped her arm around the crook of Myka's elbow. "Why thank you darling." The two of them walked into the elevator together, HG making no move to let go of her arm. As they went down HG shuffled her feet slightly and looked over at Myka. "Darling, I was wondering...have you ever considered re-opening your mother's case? Now that you're a detective?"

Myka stiffened instantly and pulled her arm away, backing up from HG. She felt like someone had just punched her in the gut. "HG." She said firmly. "You touch my mom's case and we are done. I don't give a shit how big a fan the mayor is, that's that."

"Myka..."

"I mean it HG. I...do you honestly think I never thought about it? The second I got my badge, I spent _every_ free minute I had down in cold case, going over, and over, and over her file. It consumed me. I...I can't. I stopped thinking about it, I went into therapy, and..." Myka took a deep breath and tried to calm her voice down. "HG, my mother's case is over and I am not opening it again." The elevator opened and Myka stepped out, HG following behind cautiously. "You touch it and we're done." She repeated and walked away from HG, pulling her coat tighter against her, and jamming her cold hands into her pockets.


	14. Chapter 14

**Merry Christmas everyone! Hope you enjoy and all have a great holiday and New Year. I apologize for the shortness of this chapter, I've been busy with work and holiday stuff, but I will make it up to you with a nice long one once the holiday is over. Eat lots of cookies, and make snowmen:)**

Helena swung her fencing sword up just in time as Christina made a swipe at her face. "You are getting much better at this." She said proudly.

"I'm gonna beat you one day." She promised. Her voice muffled through her fencing mask.

"Oh darling, I doubt that very much." Helena swung Christina off her feet, making sure her daughter landed softly on the couch before pulling her mask up and grinning. "At least not anytime soon."

"You know, some parents would _let_ their children win." Christina pouted.

Helena pulled her mask off. "Would victory really be as sweet if you knew it was false?" She asked.

"YES!" Christina yelled with a defiant look on her face. Helena laughed lightly and kissed Christina's forehead. "Mom?" She asked looking down at her fidgety fingers.

"What is it darling?" Helena asked as she sat down next to Christina.

"How do you know if someone likes you?"

Helena smiled and wrapped her arm around Christina. "Someone in particular?" She asked. Christina nodded. "Well, does that someone have a name?"

"Owen." Christina whispered.

"Ah, and what is this Owen like?"

"He's funny, he makes jokes and stuff and everyone likes him." Christina answered, keeping her gaze down at her hands. Helena brushed her fingers through her hair softly.

"Well, are you two friends?"

"I dunno, not really but we sit near each other in class."

"Well, talk to him." Helena offered with a shrug.

Christina turned her head sharply and looked up at Helena. "About what?"

"Anything you like, just strike up a conversation and see where it goes. You're a lovely girl Christina and anyone would be lucky to be your friend."

"What if he doesn't like me back? Not like I like him."

Helena sighed and placed a light kiss to Christina's temple. "Well darling, that is always hard and it never quite gets easier. It's hard to know for sure, but sometimes you can just feel it in the way they smile at you or something. The important thing to know is that if he – or anyone else – doesn't like you for everything you are, then they are not worth wasting your time over." Helena turned Christina's face up towards hers. "Also darling, you're only eleven and despite your wonderful maturity, please be eleven for a while longer."

Christina grinned. "Relax Mom."

Helena laughed and hauled her up off the couch. "Homework then bed." She ordered. Her phone rang and she answered it with a smile as she saw the name pop up on the small screen. "Detective, has someone been murdered?"

"Get over to the address I just texted you Wells." Myka answered. Helena grinned and grabbed her coat.

"Christina! Make sure to finish your homework; Mother, I'm heading out."

Martha walked into the hallway with her face covered in a green facial mask. Her hands were held up in the air while her nail polish dried. Helena stifled a small laugh once she noticed that her toes were also drying, Martha shuffled over with a smile. "Darling, murder or do you have a date?"

Helena put her arms through her coat and flipped her hair out, placing the beanie Myka had given her on top of her head. "With any luck, both." She answered with a grin.

"I don't believe I raised you properly." Martha said with a raised eyebrow.

"No, I don't believe you did, somehow I turned out wonderfully anyway."

Martha glared and shuffled forward, placing a kiss on Helena's cheek. "Goodnight sweetheart."

Helena arrived at the crime scene a few minutes later. The apartment was in the upper west side and as Helena dipped under the crime scene tape she scanned the room for Myka. She saw neither the detective nor a dead body anywhere in sight. Curious, she caught Pete's eye and walked over to him. "You're gonna love this one HG." He said with a whistle. "What's that gunk on your face?"

Confused Helena held up her hand, and groaned when her fingers came back with green avocado facial mask. "My mother." She explained.

Pete frowned at her. "Your mom puts green gunk on your face?"

"It's a facial mask Pete, she kissed me goodbye with it on her face."

"Why would she put all that..."

"It's for your skin Pete, it's not that miraculous, we've got a dead body remember?" Myka said as she walked up behind the two of them. She nodded towards the living room and Helena and Pete followed her along. Myka turned around and caught her eye. Helena thought she saw a hint of a smile before she turned her gaze forward and went over with Claudia, Captain Neilsen and other local cops in front of a large safe built into the wall. Awkwardly, Helena fumbled a little with the beanie on her head, then moved along with Pete to get a closer look at the body.

A woman had been stuffed into the safe, her upper torso and arm hanging out. "Good lord." Helena exclaimed as she took in the sight in front of her. "How...she has to have broken bones right?" She asked as she and Pete studied the body.

"Most definitely." He said as he pushed her limp arm out of the way of her face.

"Are you two done?" Myka asked from behind them. Helena and Pete both turned around, wearing matching guilty faces. Myka gave them an amused look and lightly grabbed the crook of Helena's elbow and pulled her along. "Pete, take Claud and get the family's statements, we'll meet you back at the station in a bit." Myka released Helena's arm as soon as they stood up and the two of them headed out of the apartment.

"Who found her?" Helena asked.

"Her daughter, Anne." Myka answered. Helena watched as she gritted her teeth and refused to look over at Helena.

"And the wedding ring cut off her finger? Was anything else stolen?"

"Everything in the safe, it was mostly expensive jewelry. Worth a lot. There have been a string of robberies in that area, but this is the first murder."

"Escalation." Helena stated as they climbed into Myka's car. The other woman nodded and pulled out of the parking garage. "How old were you when you had your first crush?" Helena asked after a few minutes of silence. Myka looked over at her for a second, shock all over her face.

"What?"

"Christina has a crush on some boy named Owen. My baby. I feel old and nauseous."Helena said with a pout. Myka broke out into laughter as she pulled her car into the police station lot. It felt like several minutes before she finally spoke and Helena sat there glaring at her the whole time. "Are you done?" She asked with her arms crossed.

"I'm sorry, your face..." Myka broke out into laughter again and climbed out of the car. An angry Helena raced after her.

"My face what?" She spat.

Myka turned around and placed her hands on Helena's shoulders, holding her in place. "Helena, eleven year old girls get crushes, its the most normal thing in the world. Stop freaking out, you're far from old."

"You called me Helena."

Myka yanked her hands back and frowned. "Well, don't get used to it. Relax about your kid, come on, we've got a case to solve."

Helena grinned and skipped after Myka. "You called me Helena." She sang out happily. Myka shook her head and didn't turn around. Helena bent down and quickly packed some snow into a ball, then chucked it at Myka's back. The taller woman spun around in shock and glared at Helena. Before she had a chance to say anything, Helena shoved her freezing hands into her pockets and skipped past Myka. "Come along darling, we've a murder to solve."


	15. Chapter 15

**I hope everyone had a good holiday, as promised, here is the next chapter. I hope everyone has a good 2013, enjoy:)**

Myka followed HG into the station, shaking the snow off of her back with a glare. She couldn't believe HG had actually chucked a snowball at her. Myka vowed to get Pete involved somehow to get her back. HG only grinned as she pulled Myka's beanie off her head and crammed it into her coat pocket. Myka had to admit, it did look cute on her. She ignored her and sat down at her desk, making a point to glare as she shook out the rest of the snow before draping it across the back of her chair.

"Hey Myka, the daughter Anne is here." Claudia announced as she walked through the bullpen. Myka nodded and took a deep breath. Speaking with the families of the deceased was always the worst part of her job; but this young woman was almost exactly the age Myka had been when her own mother was murdered, and she knew exactly all the things Anne must be feeling. She grabbed her notebook and held it in front of herself, gripping the sides tightly and walked forward. She couldn't put this off. Well, she could, Pete wouldn't fault her for it. He would jump in and talk to Anne in a second if she asked, but she didn't want to have to ask. This was her job, her mother's murder had been a long time ago and she needed to not let it hinder her life like this. She knocked once on the break room door before opening it and giving Anne a small smile. Myka situated herself across from Anne, seeing HG perch on her armrest out of the corner of her eye. She had almost told her to sit this one out, but oddly, having her right there made Myka feel calmer.

"Hello Anne, my name is Detective Bering and this is HG Wells a consultant with the NYPD, I'm very sorry for your loss."

"Thank you." Anne said. The vain in her neck tensed and she swiped away a stray tear. The young woman's face was red and their were tissues in her hand. She didn't look either Myka or HG in the eye. Myka remembered talking to the detective about her mother that night, she had hardly believed his sympathies either.

"Had you noticed anyone new in your mother's life, anyone that brought out suspicions? Or someone that had any type of grudge with her?"

"No. My mother is...was, she was loved by everyone. She was that person who could just make friends wherever she went. I've never met anyone who hated her. I just...we were supposed to bake cookies for an event. I promised her, but I'd just had so much work and I told her I'd be too late to do it. If I'd come when I said I would have..." She broke off and began to cry again. Myka leaned forward, pushing her notebook out of the way and placing a hand on the woman's knee.

"Anne, there was nothing you could have done. Running it through your mind over and over, the what ifs, if I had only just come earlier, etc. they don't help. If you had come earlier the only possible outcome is that maybe you wouldn't be here either. Whomever did this to your mother is the one you need to place blame with." Myka said firmly. Anne wiped at a tear and kept her gaze down, Myka knew she didn't believe her. She hadn't believed Detective Raglan either. She sighed. "Anne, this isn't a platitude or something I am just saying to make you feel better it's a promise." Myka said calmly. Anne looked up at Myka for the first time and caught her eye. "I _will _find whomever murdered your mother, and I will make him pay for what he has done."

Anne sat still for a moment, starring at Myka. She held her gaze, and then Anne nodded and swiped a tissue against her nose. Myka let out her breath, Anne believed her, or partly did. Myka said goodbye and made sure to give the woman her card should she think of anything that might help and lead her out of the station. As she turned around, HG walked up to her.

"You were very good with her." She noted as they walked back to Myka's desk.

Myka shrugged. "I just told her the truth, running that through her head isn't going to do her any good. There wasn't anything she could have done."

"I can't help but wonder what Christina would do if something happened to me. Her father is anything but responsible."

"HG, I'm not gonna talk to you about my mom for your book so you might as well give it up." Myka said a little more harshly than she intended. Things related to her mother almost always brought out too many feelings to deal with; whatever was going on with her relationship, or friendship, whatever it was with HG would just have to take a backseat.

"Myka, I wasn't..."

"Pete, what have you got on the robberies in the area?" Myka asked, interrupting HG. The look of hurt that crossed the other woman's face wasn't lost on Myka and she cringed. They needed to solve this case fast, Myka felt like she was crawling out of her skin.

"Well, whoever it was used a bump key, but a standard one wouldn't have worked on their high end door. There was this guy I busted a few years back for making them, I made a few calls and he's out on parole. I got him sitting in the interrogation room for ya."

"Well there you go, come on HG let's go talk to Mister...?"

"Evan Mitchell." Pete finished for her, handing his file over. Myka glanced it over for a second before nodding to HG to follow her.

"Mr Mitchell, I'm Detective Bering, this is Ms Wells, a consultant. Where were you last night between the hours of ten and midnight?" Myka said immediately as she walked into the room. She choose not to look at him until she was finished, instead keeping her gaze on his files until she sat down. HG stood behind her, leaning against the glass window.

"I was at a bar, O'Flanagans." He answered calmly.

"And is there anyone who could verify that?"

"Well hot stuff you gimme an hour and I'll see what I can do." He answered with a smirk and a wink. Myka snapped. She shoved the table into his stomach, pining him against the wall as he stared at her, baffled.

"A woman is dead Evan, I don't have time for you to shit around with me, do you have anyone to verify your whereabouts or not?" She spat at him.

"Am I under arrest lady? If not get the hell away from me." He tried to shove the table back at Myka, but she pushed it hard at him and stood up, leaving him alone in the room. Shaking, Myka ran her fingers through her hair and took a deep breath. That had been the very definition of unprofessional and worse things suspects had done had never riled her up like that before. She needed to get herself together or Captain Neilsen would pull her from the case.

"Myka, are you alright?" HG asked, lightly grabbing into Myka's elbows.

"HG, I'm fine just leave me alone. I'll call you if we need you." Myka yanked her arms back and walked away before HG could protest. Myka needed to be alone right now, unfortunately, Pete walked right up to her.

"Cap says we've got to let him go, not enough evidence."

"No, Pete we can make the connection if we have more time." Myka insisted. Pete sighed and she thought he was going to tell her it was a lost cause, but she really must have looked desperate. He nodded.

"I can hold him on the gun violation, but it won't hold for long."

"That's fine." Myka turned around and saw HG still standing in the bullpen, watching them. She shook her head and walked away, heading for the shooting range. She would rather hit something right now, but she couldn't afford to take the time that came with hitting the punching bag, the shower and the change of clothes that came with it. Shooting things would have to suffice.

* * *

Helena wasn't about to let Myka off that easily. Not when she had finally gotten to a point in their relationship, friendship, whatever it was they were calling it where Myka was starting to trust her more. She went and checked the gym first, figuring Myka would be there, but to no avail. She took off to her second guess and sure enough, there Myka was, looking adorable and pissed off at the same time; wearing red oversized earmuffs and shooting with deadly accuracy at the target.

"Thought you'd be in the gym." She said casually as she walked up to the taller woman.

Myka sighed, she looked exhausted. "Leave me alone HG." She repeated. It sounded more like a plead than a demand, and Helena had no intentions of fulfilling it, not yet anyway. She walked over and propped herself up on the shelf and crossed her arms.

"I know why you're upset." She said. Myka ignored her and reloaded her gun. "You promised Anne you would find her mother's killer and you're terrified you won't make good on it." Myka slammed her clip into the gun and glared at HG until she got down and stood back. Roughly, Myka handed over a pair of earmuffs to Helena and shot out the full clip before turning back to Helena.

"Wanna try?"

Helena beamed.

Myka stood behind Helena and adjusted her grip on the gun. "Squeeze don't pull." She ordered and stepped back to let Helena try. Purposelessly, Helena missed the target a few times.

"May I bring home some of the crime scene photos?" She asked. Helena had a hunch, but she couldn't quite place exactly what it was yet.

Myka shot her a half amused look. "Sure, if you can hit the target." She grinned evilly. It took all Helena had not to laugh. Expertly, she turned, held the gun properly, and shot five rounds right into the center; twirling around with a flourish she handed the gun off to a shocked Myka.

"Why thank you darling, have a wonderful evening." She said with a smirk as she passed the earmuffs off as well and walked out of the room, leaving a baffled Myka behind.

Helena went home and poured over the photos of the jewelry. Martha walked in and gasped at a particularly large turquoise necklace. "Oh what I wouldn't give to wear that." She exclaimed. Helena laughed and dropped the photo in her hand on the table.

"Do remember that man, Dave Powell?" Helena asked.

"The robber you outed in your books? Of course, you ruined him."

"I didn't..." Helena broke off and sighed. "He might know who would be talented enough to steal these, or something the cops can't get ahold of."

"Darling, I very much doubt that man will want to talk to you again." Martha warned.

"Well, Mother, I can charm anyone!" Helena grinned. "I'm going to tuck Christina in and go meet him, you're staying in tonight correct?"

"Yes."

"Wonderful." Helena kissed her mother's cheek and ran out of the room. Powell had been an informant for Helena in some of her earlier books, but she hadn't spoken to him in years. He answered her call, and agreed to meet her which was a good sign. As Helena walked into the restaurant and found him sitting up near the bar she smiled and walked over. "Powell, how are you?" She asked.

He whipped around in his chair and glared. "If you were a man I would slug you right now, as it is, I'm gonna smack you instead." He announced before bringing his hand back and cracking it across her cheek. Helena reached her hand up to it stunned. It hadn't been a particularly hard slap, but nevertheless she glared at him. "You deserved it and we both know it, now what do you want?" He asked gruffly.

Helena rubbed her cheek for good measure and he rolled his eyes. The waiter behind the bar caught her eye and almost walked over but she waved him off. "I did actually deserve that one." She told him and then turned to Powell. "However, it will not be tolerated again." She warned him.

"Wouldn't dream of it." Powell nodded and pushed a drink over to her. "What did you want? Ruin my career more? Get me locked up again?"

"Firstly, you decided to make a living by stealing from others, and that is on you. Your incarceration was your fault and yours alone. I may have accidentally had a hand in alerting the authorities to you but they were already well on their way to getting there all by themselves. Now, you've gotten your hit in and we are square alright?"

"Fine." He grumbled. "What do you need?"

Helena pulled the photos out and passed them over. Powell whistled appreciatively as he glanced through them. "Have you heard anything about these pieces being fenced on the market?"

"Nothing like these, goddamn this one's a beaut. These yours?" He asked.

Helena shook her head. "I'm consulting with the NYPD, there was a string of robberies in the upper east side, along with these pieces being stolen, a woman was murdered. The rest have been solely robberies, but she was killed and stuffed into the safe these came from."

"Jesus!" Powell flipped through the photos again, inspecting the jewelry. "These aren't casually worn pieces, this is special occasion jewelry; charity events, parties, etc. Whoever hocked these had to have intimate knowledge of the owners, what type of events they would be worn to, when they were in the safe, when they would be out, etc. Its a longer job than just picking an apartment and hacking into the safe. If I saw the safe I could maybe tell you more."

"Righty-ho then, off we go." Helena grabbed the photos back and jumped up with Powell following her.

"You're than in with the cops?" He asked skeptically.

"Darling, I can charm anyone, I've got you coming along haven't I? Only minutes ago you hated me."

"Yeah, that's an annoying quality of yours by the way."

"I happen to disagree."

* * *

Myka heard footsteps and people whispering ahead of her. Instantly, she pulled her gun and tip toed forward slowly. Her hand on the doorknob, she braced herself then shoved it open. "NYPD!" She announced and pointed her gun at...HG Wells. "WELLS!" Myka yelled and lowered her gun. HG stood in front of her with her hands in the air, the shocked expression on her face quickly turning to amusement.

"Detective Bering, we meet at gunpoint again." She grinned. Myka rolled her eyes and holstered her gun. The other time Myka had pulled a gun on HG had been a couple of months ago. Myka had explicitly ordered the woman to stay in the car, an order which she had – of course – ignored. She followed her and the team into the building and Myka had pulled her gun the second she heard footsteps behind them. The next time, she might just shoot. At least in the arm or leg.

"HG, you can't just break into a crime scene in the middle of the...who are you looking for?" She asked. HG was walked around looking behind curtains.

"Damn he is good. It probably _was_ all my fault." She muttered to herself.

"Who, what?"

"Dave Powell, he's a fri...acquaintance I've used for my books. No wonder he was never caught, I've no idea where he's gone off to. I wanted him to look at the jewelry, see if he knew about any of it being fenced on the market."

"Hold on...you brought a _criminal_ to an active crime scene?"

"Well..."

"HELENA!" Myka yelled. "You can't..." She broke off and took a deep breath. She might just shoot HG for the hell of it now. "You _cannot_ break into crime scenes on your own and you most certainly cannot bring a criminal with you."

"Technically he did the breaking in. I am well apt at picking locks but he had missed it so I let him have this one." HG explained. Myka bit the inside of her cheek to keep from yelling.

"You...how do you know a criminal? Actually, scratch that, of course you know criminals."

"We met when he was very lucrative, he offered me great insight to the dealings of jewelry thieves and then I may have accidentally outed him in my novel causing his most recent incarceration." HG added in a rush. Myka snorted as HG flipped her hair and refused to look her in the eye.

"Accidentally?" She asked. "You got him locked up and he's still pulling you favors?"

HG only shrugged. "He smacked me earlier, we're even."

"He _hit_ you!?" Myka yelled. A little shocked at just how angry that made her. She moved forward immediately and grabbed HG's face, inspecting it.

"Darling it was merely a slap and well deserved, he's by no means a violent man. I know abuse when I see it and would never tolerate it and he knows that. Feeling protective are we?" She asked with a smirk. "I quite like that."

Myka instantly dropped her hands and backed a step away from HG. "I cannot believe you actually brought a criminal here. What was coming here going to help? I gave you the photos."

"They're special occasion jewelry, Powell said the thieves would need intimate knowledge of the owners. When they would be worn, when they would be in and out of the safe etc. Seeing the safe would help him narrow it down."

"And did he?" Myka asked.

"Well darling I don't know, you came in and pulled a gun on me and he ran off."

"You were in the dark in an active crime scene with a criminal!"

"Well why are you here?" HG asked crossing her arms.

"I...I wanted to see if there was anything I missed." Myka admitted. She hadn't been able to sleep at all. HG had been right, her promise to Anne was eating at her. If she couldn't find her own mother's killer, she damn well was going to find Anne's. "But there's nothing here, we've gone over it all. I guess I was just hoping, or restless." Myka shrugged. "Captain is going to have to let Mitchell go in the morning, we've got nothing to hold him on."

"Yes, I've actually been thinking about that." HG said. Myka raised her eyebrows. "May I talk to him?"

"You? Why?"

Excitedly HG moved closer to Myka, fidgeting with her hands. "He won't give up anything to the cops, but I'm not a cop and many thieves can't resist the idea of fame. Of having their story told, I can tell him I'm writing a novel about a jewelry crew, see if he will give up anything that might be of use to us."

"HG that is...actually a pretty good idea." Myka admitted begrudgingly. They didn't have much of anything else right now, and she knew Mitchell knew more than he was saying. HG beamed like a child who had been just given a compliment and Myka rolled her eyes. "No more breaking into crime scenes." She ordered. HG saluted her and it took everything Myka had not to laugh at the adorableness of it.

"I shan't, I'll simply call you and make you take me from now on." She said with a grin as the two of them walked out.

"HG, if you call me in the middle of the night about anything ever, it had better be an extremely solid lead, or you are dying." Myka warned her. HG only grinned.


	16. Author's Note: Please Read

Hello everyone.

I'm sorry to say this is bad news, and not an actual chapter. I've been staring at the single page with about 200 words on it for almost 3 weeks now and...nothing is happening. I don't know what it is, but I've been feeling it for the last couple of chapters – getting those out was hard – and I hate it. It appears to only have gotten worse, which I hate because I love these characters and I really like the setup I've got going but I'm just stuck. I hate hate hate leaving you hanging, and it makes me itch to think about not updating and I think that might be part of the problem; so...I am putting this on an indefinite hold for now. I am so sorry to have to do this, but I am stuck and I don't want to write shitty stuff just to give you guys something. I have every intention of finishing this, but I have no idea at the moment when that will be. I sincerely apologize for doing this, your comments and favorites and follows have meant the world to me, and I hope when I do eventually get my ass in gear and finish this, you will come back and enjoy it:)

Thank you so much for the input thus far, I hope to see you all again soon.


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